


A Kind Heart is A Kind Soul

by Ashes_2_Ashes



Series: The 7 SOULS series [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Other, angst? probably., bear with me please., fluff? not sure., i'll think of it soon, not sure what else to add, reader suffers from ptsd and broken heart syndrome, sansy is there for you dont worry, slow burn?, smut? maybe.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2019-10-29 13:11:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 69,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17808596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashes_2_Ashes/pseuds/Ashes_2_Ashes
Summary: Coming back home after years of being stationed in the front lines, you’ve heard about the news of monsters resurfacing and slowly integrating into society long ago.You just didn't expect to become immediate friends with one so soon.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys, this is my first undertale fanfic. and yes, I am pretty late in the fandom. also this is by far my longest chapter 1 and I am embarrassed about it. but I hope you enjoy!

The moment you got off from the bus, you could already tell you felt out of place and so far under the rock from not being updated with the latest events; looking around, you got yourself a good long look of everything in front of you. Like wow, _A LOT_ has changed when you were gone, there were trendy cafes, more convenience stores, miraculously _more_ apartments, new restaurants, and even the bookstore that was always your go-to _had_ an upgrade. Maybe not a lot has changed, the pizza place that you remembered vividly in your head was still at the same corner, same metal chairs, same tables, and the same pizza sign like you remembered.

 

Chest swelling with nostalgia, you shifted the large duffel like bag on your back properly. And just when you were about to go your way, your stomach rumbled loudly, good timing, you just felt like going for that greasy cheesy pizza goodness.

 

Just when you reached the counter and began to put down your bag between your legs to keep it secure, the moment you went back up “Hi! Like, what can I get you?!” an  overly cheerful voice asked from above, it startled you to the point that you accidentally smashed your head against the underside of the metallic counter.

 

The voice from above gasped and snickered at the same time “I’m alright, thanks for asking” you said in sarcasm rubbing the back of your head with the palm of your hand, the moment you made eye contact with the mystery person who was about to take your order, you nearly fell backward on your ass.

 

A female cat monster is attending to the front of the pizza place.

 

You had completely forgotten that you’re living in a city that has the most monster population, you had also forgotten about the news that the monsters came to the surface after the fall of the barrier, with the representation of a human child accompanied by the king and queen of monsters, signifying that peace had formed between the underground and the surface. and the first humans that had helped them integrate into surface society was the people who lived here, your once small hometown village slowly becoming a city in just a few years.

 

Man, time sure flies so fast when you’ve been gone for a long while. From Ebott town to Ebott City.

 

“Are you, like, okay there?” she paused and drummed her claws on the counter “And, like, are you gonna order a greasy cheese triangle or like, a greasy cheese circle?” the monster asked in concern when you didn’t answer her the first few minutes.

 

_She said what now._

 

“A...what?” raising both eyebrows in uncertainty, before blinking now that you’ve realized she meant the pizza “I mean, yeah? sure? I’ll take two greasy cheese circles to go.” you stifle a laugh as you took out a bill from your chest pocket. “The biggest size and cut it in squares please.” you added

 

She grinned, went back in for a bit to cut the pizza in squares, before reappearing again with two whole twenty-four inch cheese pizzas to go and handing it to you. Grateful for her service, you happily took it as you handed the money to her free hand.

 

You placed the giant bag again on your back and began to walk off before the cat monster could even give you your change, and as she was about to call you “Keep it!” you yelled as you waved a hand without looking at them.

 

Being back to the place where everything started gave you nostalgic blues, some memories were good and some were bad. Just like now, you remembered a memory from childhood, defending your sibling from a playground bully, despite being a girl and smaller than them, you had punched the kid’s nose and _it bled._

 

“No regrets or whatsoever.” you chuckled and sighed.

 

Passing by the park and further along coming into view was a foster care house, you promised the kids that you’d come visit them the first thing you come back here. The moment you got there, one of the kids had shouted and pointed a finger at your direction.

 

_So much for a surprise._

 

One by one, kids of different ages came running out of the door of the orphanage and greeted you by the gate the moment you got there,

 

“It’s (y/n)!”

 

“(y/n)!!”

 

“Guys (y/n)’s back!”

 

“(y/n) brought pizza!!”

 

“There’s pizza! I fucking love pizza!”

 

“Hey language!”

 

You laughed as you were ushered inside the house, they all followed you to the kitchen and chattered wildly, waiting for the pizza boxes to be opened. “Alright, alright, there’s a lot for everyone” you said as you unstacked the two boxes and laid it out on the spacious table.

 

“All of you children better wash your hands before touching those pizzas!” a stern voice of an elderly woman had joined the fray.

 

“Hey, Mrs. Bee” you casually saluted at her with your fingers before moving up to her to give her a bear hug. “It’s been awhile.”

 

The elderly woman returned the hug with a tight hug of her own “How you’ve been dear? It felt like it was just yesterday that you’ve been in my care and flown from the nest, and now look at you, a hardened girl with what you went through.” she rubbed circles on your back, consoling you from something invisible but visible at the same time. You mulled over with what she said, and with a sigh and one last tight hug, you let go.

 

“I’m fine.” you said, trying to be convincing “Really am.” you gave her a small grin

 

She scanned your face, she could tell, the bags under your eyes were visible as daylight, your weight had drastically went down, the once vibrant skin color you had became pale with a few scars poking out here and there where skin can be seen.

 

You’re just thankful and glad that she didn’t push this issue any further.

 

“Did you guys wash your hands?” you asked the kids as you open the boxes of pizza, the kids answered yes and yeahs in excitement, clearly happy that you finally went back to where the real issue is, not opening the pizza boxes for them to eat.

 

You handed out plates with pizza on them, one by one they accepted it and went to their own devices after getting their slice of pizza

 

“Hey Mrs. B?!” someone had practically yelled after coming through the entrance, and you’d know that voice anywhere.

 

“In the kitchen, Josh!” you answered back

 

Heavy footsteps can be heard in the hallway before a man in his early twenties literally made an impact to the open door frame to the kitchen, eyes wide with shock. “No way…”

 

“Yes way.” you grinned deviously “Hey, kid.”

 

“Y-Yo- whaaaaat the fuuuuu-, n-no fucking way!” he said in broken words and stutters, as he rushed to where you are and hugged the living lights out of you, damn this kid has grown, last you saw him was when he was a twig and just started high school. “(y/n)! Dude! How long have you been in town?!” he asked with a loud voice before releasing you from that agonizing hug.

 

What’s with people hugging you to the point you can’t breath?

 

“Just got back today.” you said, a throaty laugh escaping your lips “brought pizza for the kids, figured I drop by the orphanage before heading back to my apartment.” you pointed at the leftover pizza on the table with your thumb. “Eat up.”

 

“Nah, I already ate.” he rejected but then he looked like had the most brilliant idea “Why don’t _you_ join _me_ _and my friends_ for drinks?” he proposed the idea, with the hope of you saying yes. “We’re gonna celebrate for finishing the exams without any of us dying.”

 

You squint your eyes at him, you’ve known this kid for a while to warrant doubts from you. He can get to any kinds of mischief, and then there's his college buddies. And you’re not too keen on the idea of drinking with people younger than you. “Yeah. Nope.” was your reply.

 

“Come on (y/n)! It’s been years, at least treat me like I’m an adult who can hold his liquor!” he insisted.

 

“You’re still a kid to me.” you snickered into the pizza you bit into.

 

“Just for tonight!” he claimed “To celebrate you coming home too!” desperately begging you, he was really giving you the puppy eyes with his hands clasped together, it was a comical sight. “Come on, sis.”

 

_And there goes the sister card._

 

You sighed and acted like you were giving some more thoughts to his idea, even though you were already set with your decision “Okay, alright, fine.” you caved in “On one condition, I am not dragging your drunk ass back to my apartment.”

 

“Yes!” he fist pumped and took a piece of square pizza before shoving it in his mouth

 

You groaned in disgust “Gross.”

 

“You’re gross.” he replied with a full mouth.

 

Your face broke out more in disgust “Double gross.”

 

And with a triumphant look, he turned around and went somewhere upstairs. “SHIT IT’S ALMOST SIX” He yelled “BETTER GET READY (Y/N)!”

 

“Oh that son of a-”

 

“Ah ah, language dear.” Mrs. Bee wiggled her finger at you with her free hand while while she ate her piece of pizza with the other.

 

And that’s your cue to leave “I’m borrowing your room for a bit!” you briskly walked out, grabbing your huge bag in the process while jogging down the hallway to the elderly woman’s room to change.

 

Once inside, you rummaged through your bag on the floor, maybe a simple black long sleeve would do, you pulled the clothing out of your bag, it was thick enough to keep you warm for the night. Should you change out the pants? You debated, before you could completely unclasp the belt, fast knocks had thumped on the door to the room. “(y/n)! Hurry up!”

 

Welp, there’s your answer, you’re keeping the pants. You were too lazy to change out of it and pull a clean one out anyways. So instead you took off the top you’ve been wearing, it was kinda annoyingly eye catching and hot to be in. You also removed the undershirt you were wearing, it’s damp with sweat since earlier you arrived, you pulled the black clothing over your head and straightened it out.

 

“(y/n)!” he knocked again.

 

“Jeez Louise, calm yourself.” you yelled “Lady needs her time!”

 

“It’s already six!” he whined from the other side of the door.

 

“Okay, okay, chill.” you growled, you got your wallet, your phone, and your extra cash in your pockets, okay, alright, you didn’t forget anything else. Then you proceeded with stuffing the clothes you took off into your bag. And just when you open the door, Josh was about to knock again, when the youth was startled by the sudden door opening on him. He stopped midway of his knocking. “Fucking. Finally” he exasperated with a roll of his eyes.

 

“You sound like a high school campus girl late for a drinking party with the jocks.” you commented with hands on your hips

 

“At least _I_ have people to drink with.” Josh mocked you by doing an impression of one of those annoying hair flips and cat walked away from you, nose high in the air.

 

You laughed and chase after him. “So any place in mind?” you asked in curiosity.

 

And with a grin that gave you the shivers, you knew that you can’t back out on this anymore. “I know a great place with great drinks.”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

You and Josh had spent the whole walk talking about the latest events in town, like when you were away, the whole village fought nails and teeth for the monster community to be recognize, a group of individuals worthy of the rights the surface can provide and it paid off. Every monster that you passed by and saw all had the rights they need, from having a land or house rights, the rights to get a job and work, to set up a business, and to gain education.

 

“You should’ve seen Mrs. B!” he exclaimed “She just fucking schooled this racist fuck when he was complaining that monsters shouldn’t be in the same place as humans.”

 

“Oh?” you grinned, it’s rare for the old woman to actually let her anger out, but when it _is_ out, you’d prolly not want be there when it happens.

 

“She just slapped him in the face and said ‘A man-child like you shouldn’t be here, now go back to your mommy.’” he motioned, mimicking her accurately.

 

You laugh and shook your head in disbelief, way to go Bertha, the oldie still has some bad-assery in her.

“Here, here.” he ran up ahead and stop in front of a pub name Grillby’s. You jog after him and followed inside. Surprisingly, it was kinda homey, tables of various sizes was everywhere, but seats with leather cushions and similar tables were lined up in the corners, a slightly raised platform that's acting as a stage was on your left, and the bar had situated at the end of the wall in front of you. The customers, both monsters and human, was mingling with each other, exchanging stories, drinking and having fun together, and even well, hooking up.

 

It was a sight that made you smile.

 

“Josh!” a man called out from the bar area, he was with a group of college students “Over here!” he waved at him, you followed after your brother, not sure how things will turn out with you meeting his friends.

 

“Hey, Keith.” you heard him say the other’s name, a bit too affectionate… you raised an eyebrow, a grin forming on your face, is this what you think it is?

 

The man called Keith, unconsciously wrapped his arm around Josh’s waist, like it has been a long time habit for the two to be too “buddy-buddy” with each other. Noticing your look, Josh forgot about you and quickly pull himself away from Keith. “S-so, uh, (y/n)!” he said your name in an ‘Oh-shit’ kind of tone. “Meet Keith! Keith meet (y/n)!” he yelled, too loud for comfort.

 

You just stood there, grinning from ear to ear. “Nice to meet you, Keith.” you extended a hand to young man, who became pale just hearing your name, he stood up quickly and took your hand, shaking it like it was the end of the world.

 

“I-uh-I’m K-Keith!” he stuttered “I’m Josh’s boyfriend!” you nodded slowly “I MEAN! BOY SPACE FRIEND, YOU KNOW BOY SPACE FRIEND?! WE’RE JUST FRIENDS I SWEAR.” he quickly explained himself to you, knowing that he dug his own grave. Josh on the other hand was completely embarrassed and red in the face, he had hid his face with his hands a long time ago, groaning loudly into them for the fact that Keith had fucked up.

 

“Dude, relax.” you reassured the youth “I’m chill with these kinds of relationships.” you chuckled at their relief. “Who would’ve thought that my baby bro finally got himself a man.” you reached out and gave Josh’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “You guys _are_ using protection right?” you winked at the two, and the group erupted into a fit of laughter.

 

“OH MY GOD.” He groaned into his hands once more. “PLEASE SHUT UP.”

 

You guffawed at his reaction and settled on taking the stool available in between Josh and a skeleton monster who was talking to a fire monster barista on the other side, who is literally on fire, miraculously not setting the clothes he’s wearing on fire too.

 

But before you could sit down, you studied the skeleton monster, and judging by the voice, it must be a he. You noticed he was wearing a blue hoodie with a white under shirt, black basketball shorts with white stripes on the side. He was also wearing a pair of socks and pink house slippers, clearly the color had faded from too much use.

 

clearly the two monsters were too busy talking to each other, so you hesitated at first but then you decided that it’s now or never, your legs hurt from not sitting down the whole day. “Hi! Is this seat taken?” you asked, giving the stool a pat.

 

This caught their attention, the fire one nodded his head at your direction and this caused the skeleton monster to turn his head to you, realizing that you were actually talking to him. There you noticed that his face was smooth and round, a wide grin plastered on it. His wide eyes, no, _eye sockets_ to be exact, was completely black, save for the blue lights inside that acted like eyes. And his nose was also hollowed with a small protruding nose bridge.

 

It had been a while since you asked your question, so you cleared your throat, he blinks at you, before shrugging “Knock yerself out.” he said in a pleasantly deep voice and winked at you.

 

“Thanks.” you sat down, thinking of asking the barista to give you whiskey on the rocks, and just when you open your mouth, “Can I-” Without any warning, Josh had smacked you in the back, the sound of the impact was loud enough for other customers to hear, monsters and human alike glanced over at your direction. You yelped and hissed at the pain while you doubled over on top of the bar’s marble counter, both hands gripping the edge.

 

It was clear that the event had startled your skeleton neighbor and the barista.

 

“Hey Grillby! Get her something easy to down!” Josh said excitedly “It’s to celebrate her coming home at last!” the barista, whom you now know as Grillby softly chuckled as he nodded his head. “Make it _special!_ ’ He demanded and the barista went right to work, he then decided to rest his arm on your shoulders and lean his whole weight on you.

 

“You’re such a little-” you got cut off from your sentence when Josh had suddenly released you from his grasp and leaned forward unto the counter “and a round of drinks for me and my buddies!” You groan “Why…” you heaved “Why the fucking fuck would you do that.” you said, turning your head sideways to look at him with a tormented expression, you couldn’t move to straighten out your back, the area he slapped was still burning in pain.

 

“To _lighten_ you up!” he grinned from ear to ear, this was probably revenge for embarrassing him earlier.

 

The skeleton beside you snorted “Nice one, kid.” Grillby, on the other hand just sighed heavily before he placed a drink in front of you.

 

“Thanks, Sans.” he said gleefully before turning to you again. “I’ll be with Keith and my buddies over the leather seats.” Josh said before completely leaving you.

 

You rolled your eyes in annoyance and slowly and agonizingly straighten yourself up. Feeling the tingling sensation of pain last for awhile before it disappeared. You sighed in relief that you conquered that, and with a huff, you reached for your drink and immediately noticed the color of the drink, it was a mixture of dark blue, blue, and purple. The colors seem to ‘bleed’ into each other, ands thats when you noticed the sparkling, it was like the starry sky was in your glass. “Whoa.” was the only word you could say.

 

“Mix it up ‘fore you drink it.” the pleasant deep voice of the skeleton said. You twisted your body to the side to look at him with a pained smile. “It tastes better that way.” he reached out a bony hand to you. “Put a shake there, pal.” he grinned wider while introducing himself.

 

_Aw, what a good guy._

 

You immediately took his hand with a smile and- “ _Pfffrrtttt…_ ” came the visible sound of the wet fart of a whoopee cushion. You just sat there frozen in place, hands still together, while Sans whipped back his head and roared with laughter.  It took a few more minutes for him to settle down and the skeleton happily sighs “Never gets old.” he wiped a tear from his face with his free hand, before giving you the proper hand shake you deserve. “Sans. Sans the skeleton.” he finally said his name.

 

With a heavy sigh and an exaggerated eye roll “(Y/n) (L/n)” you replied with hollowed enthusiasm before letting go of his hand, despite it without the softness of skin and all bones, you didn’t feel disgusted or creeped out by it at all.

 

Sans replied with a chuckle “What brings ya ‘ere?” he asked turning his body sideways as he leaned his head on the knuckles of his upright arm on the counter. “Aside celebratin’ yer homecoming.”

 

You crossed your legs and relaxed, by letting your side lean on the edge of the counter

 

“Accompanying my annoying little brother.” you answered before cocking your head to the table where Josh and his group of friends sat, clearly enjoying themselves with the drinks they got earlier from the bar. “He insisted that I join him and his buddies, but just look at them, clearly in their own world.” you softly laugh at the sight of Josh being in the arms of his boyfriend, Keith. The two laughing while the others are clearly joking around.

 

“Heh, you sound lonely.” he commented and turn to look at them also, before going back to look at you.

 

“I’m actually fine like this.” you replied, taking your drink into your hands and stirring it. You were amazed at how this drink can achieve this effect, and when you stirred it, the “stars” swirled in glittering movements. “He deserves to unwind.” you giggled softly before taking a sip of the drink and then the flavors exploded in your mouth, weirdly enough you couldn’t taste the alcohol.

 

Huh, that’s weird.

 

“It’s a monster drink.” Sans said with throaty laughter. “There’s alcohol in it but it’s not the kind you guys are used to.”

 

You blinked and became flustered, you must've said that out loud while you were busy being amazed by the drink. “I’m sorry, did I say that out loud?” you sheepishly grinned at him.

 

“Yuuup.” the other replied with a drawl and returned your grin with a softer grin. “Can still get you hammered though.” he winked as he took a sip of his own drink, it was just plain blue liquid with ice in it

 

“What's the difference with ‘surface alcohol’?” you asked with a very curious expression on your face.

 

“Unlike surface alcohol that makes your kind have a hangover, stomach pains, and undesirable vomit ‘splosions...” Sans swirled his drink, ice softly clinking against the glass. “Monster drinks are just magical alcoholic drinks, it goes to a different area of the body.”

 

You squint your eyes at him, clearly not understanding the ‘different area of the body.’

 

He clearly chuckled at your face before shaking his head. “You know, I was originally gonna start with an ice breaker.”

 

“Like what?” you took a bigger sip of your drink, this time you felt tingling on your tongue, it immediately disappeared.

 

“It was a skeleton pun...” he shrugged his shoulders “But I don’t have the _guts_ to say it now.”

 

It took you awhile before it hit you

 

_Oh my god._

 

_It fucking makes sense._

 

_He’s a skeleton._

 

 _And skeletons don’t have any organs to begin with._      

 

You groan out loud “Please Kill me.” you told him as you take another swig of your drink.

“No can do, (y/n).” He laughed “I won’t have any _body_ to drink with if I do that.” he winked.

 

“Stooooop.” you suppressed a smile from forming on your face, so you drank to hide the effort.  

 

“Come on, I find it very _humerus_.” Sans continued.

 

You snorted halfway in drinking, the drink had decided not to go down your throat and came exiting out of your nose instead. You doubled over again, coughing and wheezing and spilling the drink on the counter and on the floor.

 

You heard Sans laughing in his seat, clearly amused with the turn of events “I-I’m s-s-sor” he wheezed, tipping his head back to laugh more while slapping the counter. “I d-didn’t think that wo-” he howled with laughter, the skeleton can’t even finish his sentences.

 

It was Grillby who came to your rescue, he had rushed out of the bar to get to your side, rubbing circles on your back while you hacked yourself to death with violent coughing. “Stop laughing and give me tissues, Sans.” the barista pointed at the bar.

 

With one last huff of calming himself down, Sans stood up on his chair, leaned over the counter, rummaged through it, and pulled out some tissues for you. “Here” he chuckled and handed you the tissues. You gratefully took it and began blowing into it, you finally sat up properly and wiped your nose with the cleaner side of the used tissue.

 

You look him dead in the eyes, keeping your poker face steady. You could clearly see Sans starting to sweat and beginning to look nervous “... _Snot_ funny.” you finally said.

 

Sans doubled over and laughed like it was the end of the world and you laughed along with him. Poor  Grillby, who was worried about you, clearly had enough with this and went to the back of the bar. He came back holding a rag, and as he was about to wipe the floor, you stopped him in his tracks “Oh, no, I’ll do it!” you immediately said and quickly took the rag from him.

 

“But it’s my jo-” completely dumbfounded when you started to wipe the liquid off the counter

 

“It’s my mess, so of course I have to clean it.” you said without looking at him, then you got down from your stool and fold your knees to wipe the bigger mess off the floor. “Here, All done.” you gave him a smile before giving the soaked rag back to him.

 

And when he took it, steam wafted upwards “I guess, I owe you for that.” he chuckled and went walking back to the bar area, where he flopped the wet rag, into an built in sink.

 

“No, no, you don’t owe me anything.” you dismissed what he said “I was just helping-”

 

“(y/n)!” Josh called out and walked up to you “Everything okay here?” he asked, concern visible in his eyes.

 

“Yeah, everything’s fine-” you got cut off when Sans joined in the conversation.

 

“Made her laugh till she choked on her drink and spilled it.” he said with a devious grin present on his face. “Sorry not sorry about that.” he winked at you.

 

You playfully rolled your eyes at the skeleton, “Yeah right.”

 

Josh just looked at the two of you, as if sensing something going on between you “So hey, (y/n)?” he called out to you.

 

“Hmm?” you gave an inquisitive look at your brother.

 

“Sooooo I’ll be...uh, spending the night at Keith’s…” he was wringing his hands, clearly asking permission to leave early “And I won’t be able to walk home with you…”

 

“ _I know,_ where this is going, Josh.” you gave him a soft throaty laugh “Just go already, you spork.” you waved a hand at him, shooing him away. He squealed, clapped his hands, and gave you a hug before running up excitedly to Keith, hands immediately intertwine with each other before walking out of the bar with the rest with his college buddies

 

You cupped your hands over your mouth “DON’T FORGET TO USE PROTECTION!” you yelled after him.

 

“STOP IT!” He yelled back from the door, turning red like a tomato, Josh stuck his tongue out at you  before disappearing out of sight.

 

You shook your head as you laugh before sitting back on your stool, Sans was looking at you, grinning wide like a cat. “You sure love your brother.” he commented about the exchange between you and Josh.

 

“...He’s not my _brother_ brother.” you replied absentmindedly and looked up at Sans, who was clearly giving you a quizzical look “I mean he _is?_ But at the same time _not?_ ” you tried to explain and sighed “He’s my brother that wasn’t born into _my_ family but still blood related.” you huffed, trying real hard to give Sans the proper explanation.

 

“So, brother from another mother then?” Sans asked in uncertainty

 

You nodded “The reason he’s with me was…well...his preference.” pausing to realize at what you were doing, you were gonna be telling a very personal story to a stranger out of the blue, but when you looked at Sans, it felt like it was alright to tell him. “I-I mean, I could tell you the story about it, I’m just not sure if you wanna hear it.”

 

“‘S alright, (y/n). You can talk about it.” the skeleton reassured you with a soft voice

 

A drink had appeared in front of your face before you could continue, it was a different one from early, it was an orange and red gradient kind of drink. you gingerly took it from Grillby “On the house.” he said, looking at you before going back to wiping washed glasses “Figured you’d need something to drink while telling a story.”

 

“Thanks.” you chirped at him and took a gulp, the same tingling sensation, but this time there was warmth that pooled unto your stomach. You look back at Sans who was drinking the same drink as you.

 

“What do you mean?” Sans spoke up this time.

 

You sighed and took another gulp, swishing the liquid in your mouth before swallowing it “He came out his parents to being gay years ago.” sliding your finger around the mouth of the glass of your drink. “And guess what?” you look up at Sans.

 

The Skeleton gave you a shrug “What?”

 

“His parents didn’t take it well” you paused, remembering the time you were there at your uncle’s house, supporting a younger Josh, at the dining table, eating dinner with the whole family. “Well, except his mother.” you sighed again. “His mother was consoling him at first, reassuring him that everything was alright and she accepts him no matter what. His mom was a great person by the way.” pointing a finger at Sans while still holding your drink. “We thought it would end with it there. Acceptance, support, and a happy family…” you paused again, placing your drink on the counter, both hands cupping it now.

 

“Isn’t that great?” Sans said, about to drink but halted midway “...wait.”

 

You frowned and glared at your glass, as if the drink had done something to you. “...His dad, just went up, snatched Josh from the table and took him by the collar and slammed him into the ground a-and-” you shuddered and let out a shaky breath, the memories replaying in your head, your uncle punching Josh so many times, Josh’s screams, His mom crying and pleading for the beating to stop, and you trying to pull the older man away from him. You closed your eyes, tilt your head back and stared at the ceiling, you were slowly feeling the sting of tears forming in your eyes.

 

“Hey,” Sans reached out and gently grabbed you by the arm “It’s cool, you can let it out.”

 

You shook your head and huffed “I’m fine.” you took deep breaths and took another chug at your drink “Josh got beaten up so bad he ended up in the hospital in critical condition” You paused and pulled up your right sleeve to reveal a surgical scar. “I suffered a broken arm and a few bruises for wrestling the damn old man into the ground.”

 

Grillby and Sans were just looking at you, speechless.

 

“His dad stopped struggling when he realized he broke my arm.” you continued and pulled the sleeve back down “the next thing I knew, Police had come busting through the front door and tackled the old man, immediately arresting him domestic abuse and injuring a civilian.” you brought the glass to your lips and tipped your head, finishing the drink in one motion. You exhaled loudly, shuddering as warmth spread throughout your body, you placed the empty glass on the counter for Grillby to take. “Once Josh was better and discharged from the hospital, my family immediately took him in when his mom dropped him off at the house.” you remembered Josh and his mom having a private talk in the living room, both crying and both promising to still keep in touch. “And that’s how he officially became my brother.” you quietly laugh to yourself.

 

Everything was quiet, Sans still hasn’t removed his hand from your shoulder until you felt it slowly slide off and land on his lap. Grillby had stopped wiping the glass and was just holding unto it.

 

The silence, for once, was really loud.

 

“...Sorry about this.” you finally spoke up “Tonight was supposed to be happy hours, instead I turned it into sad hours.” you lightly joke, and reaching for the back of your head to scratch it with your hand.

 

“What?” Sans spoke up next and reassured you again with his hand on your shoulder “No, no. ’s my fault for being curious.”

 

“Yes, Blame him.” Grillby jokingly pointed at the skeleton with the glass he’s holding, before bending down to store the cup.

 

“Not helping, Grillbz.” Sans laughed and took his hand off your shoulder to finger gun at the elemental.

 

“You made her tell the story.” the other countered.

 

“Didn’t know it’ll be like that.” he replied before finishing his drink.

 

You laughed while the two bickered around. “...Thanks for listening, I guess.” you leaned on your palm “I guess I’ve been holding my breath for a long time,” you drummed your fingers against your cheek. “It did lift some kind of weight off me.” you hummed at them

 

“Come on,” Sans punched you softly on the arm “The night’s still pretty young.” he nodded at the wall clock behind you.

 

It was still nine in the evening, you gave Sans a confused look, and just to be sure you also checked your phone, staring at the screen a bit longer before looking up into his eyes, there was a hint of mischief in it “How-”   

 

“The drinks does that to ya.” he grinned and began to explain, “Magic in the monster drinks, messes up your sense of time, making it feel like it went by quickly. So happy hours hasn’t ended quite yet, princess.” He motioned his hands towards Grillby and let out a gravelly laugh.

 

This time you shuddered at the sound and gave yourself a confused look when you reached up and placed your hand at your chest area, but then you dismissed it by giving Sans a look of mischievousness “Well... _since,_ it’s still early…” you drummed both hands on your knees. “ _And_ I don’t have any other plans…”

 

“Oh, the suspense is killing me.” Sans mocked you with his grin, letting one eye close and the other open. His body leaning against the counter, and head leaning against his bony palm, extremely chill in that position.   

 

“How about we drink till we can’t take it?” you leaned forward, face just inches away from his.

 

Sans raised an eyebrow at you, keeping his ground and not moving his face away from you. “...Is that a challenge?”

 

You innocently shrugged your shoulders at him “do you think it is?” you sensually purred your question at him.

 

Minutes goes by and neither of you guys were talking or moving, you both stayed in that position as if as staring contest was going on. “...ya betting something?” he finally asked after some contemplation.

 

You pulled back and stretched your arms up, before going back to slump against the bar’s counter, drumming your fingers on it “Would you drink the night away with me if I said yes?” you look at him with half-lidded eyes.

 

“Depends on what ya betting...” he replied lazily, making his voice even more deeper and rich.

 

You felt the tingling sensation from your mouth earlier go down your chest and stomach area, and eventually even more down south. “Hmm…” you hummed, deep in thought. “A night with me?” you joked.

 

He blinked in surprise “...You’re joking right?”

 

“Yup~” you grinned and laughed “You’re reaction was priceless!”

 

“Heh.” he chuckled “Come on, princess. Don’t go teasing the bones like that.”

 

You laughed even harder “Okay, okay, okay.” you wheezed and composed yourself. “How about ...dinner together? Tomorrow?”

 

Sans pondered on the bet for a while “Heh, sure.” finally answering you as he hopped down his stool. “Let’s get comfortable then.” he nodded at an empty corner table with two leather seats facing against each other.   

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

  


“Heeey guuuuuyyyssssssss~” you called out to the skeleton and elemental barista sitting across you “ Why did the-” you burped “Why did the skeleton c...climb up the treeeeeee???” you giggled

 

Sans chuckled, leaning on table, with his cheek against his knuckles “Alright. that’s your last joke, princess. After that, I’ll bring you home.”

 

“Com’oooooooon aaaaassssk.” you waved both arms in front of him while your boot thumped heavily underneath the table “ask ask ask!!” you impatiently demanding their attention.

 

Sans shook his head and inwardly laughed “Okay, why?”

 

“‘Caussse a doggy was after his bones!!” you guffawed and slammed both hands repeatedly on the table’s surface.

 

The two monsters couldn’t help but laugh along with you. Sans seems to have lost and Grillby just doubled over and was laughing his ass off against the wall. Feeling triumpful, you gave yourself a pat in the back and tipped the glass to your mouth “Izz empty.” you sadly said and slumped your back against the chair.

 

“Good,” Sans commented “It’s time to get you home.” he stood up and walked over to your side

 

“Nooooooo~” you whined and rocked your head back and forth against the leather cushioned chair “Wanna drink moooooorre~!”

  

“No can do, (y/n)” he said in a sing song voice. “It’s already two in the morning, and Grillbz here still has to close up.”

 

You groan and just slid down the chair, settling cozily by lying on your side. Slowly but surely, you couldn't keep your eyes open anymore and succumbed to sleep that lulled you in with its lullaby.

 

****************************************************

 

Sans has been talking and joking away at the bar area with Grillby, when he started to feel the slow but constant thumping on his chest. He wasn’t completely sure why his soul would react like this...unless…?

 

And surely enough, the moment he laid his eyes on you walking through the entrance of the pub, Sans felt his chest tightened, his soulmate _is_ here. He watched you walk side by side with the college kid, Josh, one of Grillby’s regulars. The two of you still chatting away before looking around to find someone.

 

“Josh!” a man called out two seats away from where Sans sat, that snapped the skeleton’s attention to him. It was Keith, who’s another regular of the pub, was with a group of other college students who were chattering away at their own conversations “Over here!” he waved to your direction, Sans couldn’t help but look over to you, noticing how reserve you were, but with the way you held yourself while walking across the room radiate confidence, it was intimidating even.

 

Both you and the kid reached the group of college students in just a few steps.

 

“Hey, Keith.” He hears Josh say Keith’s name, obviously way too affectionate, then he sees you you raise an eyebrow and grin.

 

_Oh bones._

 

Sans couldn't help but chuckle at your facial reaction to the exchanged between the two college students.

 

Keith, unconsciously wrapped his arm around Josh’s waist, it’s been a long time habit for the two, and that was when he realized what they were doing, they were gonna announce their relationship to you. Sans scoffed, _way too dig up your graves pals_. “S-so, uh, (y/n)!” Josh said your name in an ‘Oh-shit’ kind of tone, realizing they slipped up with the waist grabbing. “Meet Keith! Keith meet (y/n)!” he yelled, too loud for comfort. Sans snickered into his hand this time.

 

Grillby furrowed a brow over to Sans, as if a signal well-received, Sans waved at him showing that there's nothing wrong with this skeleton

 

Sans just watched you stand in front of them, grinning from ear to ear. “Nice to meet you, Keith.” you extended a hand to him, poor Keith, kid became pale just by hearing your name, Sans watches on when Keith stood up quickly and take your hand, shaking it like it was the end of the world.

 

“I-uh-I’m K-Keith!” he stuttered “I’m Josh’s boyfriend!” you nodded slowly “I MEAN! BOY SPACE FRIEND, YOU KNOW BOY SPACE FRIEND?! WE’RE JUST FRIENDS I SWEAR.” he quickly explained himself to you, knowing that the kid had dug his own grave even deeper. Josh on the other hand had turn completely red and had hid his face with his hands a long time ago, groaning loudly into them for the fact that Keith had fucked up.

 

“Dude, relax.” Sans listens and observes you reassuring Keith with a shrug, he admired how relax _you_ were “I’m chill with these kinds of relationships.” you chuckled.

 

 _God that laugh_. It was a soft one but still loud enough for him to hear, your voice had a nice sound to it too.

 

“Who would’ve thought that my baby bro finally got himself a man.” Sans eyes followed your body movements and you reached out to give a reassuring pat on Josh’s shoulder. “You guys _are_ using protection right?” you asked and winked at the two, and the group erupted into a fit of laughter.

 

Sans laughed along silently, his whole body shaking with glee, the exchange between you and the two was incredibly hilarious.

 

“OH MY GOD.” your brother groaned into his hands once more. “PLEASE SHUT UP.”

 

You guffawed at your companion’s reaction, and that's when Sans noticed how you were looking around, clearly wanting to take the seat available beside him. Not to be obvious that he’s been completely watching you from the start , the skeleton quickly whip his head back at Grillby’s direction _“Don't say a word.”_ he whispered while pointing a finger at the elemental.

 

Sans couldn’t tell but he could _feel_ that Grillby was enjoying himself in this whole ordeal, he sees that the elemental could only sigh and shake his head at Sans. And Sans was right, Grillby _is and still_ amused at how the skeleton is acting strangely ever since you arrived.

 

Sans could feel your eyes on him, it was as if you were looking at him from head to toe, taking in the details of how he looks. Grillby chuckled “I find the events happening tonight quite amusing.” he whispered.

 

“Don't wanna cause a _bad time_ here and scare her away, Grillby.” Sans whispered back and shook his head at him.

 

Clearly too busy talking to each other, Sans wasn’t aware that you’ve moved closer to him “Hi! Is this seat taken?” you asked while giving the stool beside him a pat.

 

 _Prolly asking a question to Grillby._ Sans thought to himself

 

“ _Sans”_ Grillby hissed his name in urgency, Sans looked up at him in confusion, the elemental nodded his head at your direction and this caused the skeleton to turn his head to you, realizing that you were actually talking to _him_.

 

Captivated by you, Sans just couldn’t help himself from staring, he was immediately head over heels for you. He loved how you look at him with your (e/c) eyes, the way your lips look so good makes him want to reach out and grab your face and just kiss you right then and there-

 

He snaps himself from his daydreaming when he heard you clear your throat at him, the skeleton blinks at you before shrugging “Knock yerself out.” he finally answered you.

 

 _Chill your bones, man_. He strongly reminded himself in his head.

 

“Thanks.” you sat down, relief washing over your face as you finally got to take a seat. He doesn’t know happened in the day, but he guessed that you’ve been up on your toes the whole day.

 

And that’s when your scent hit him, it was faint but it left an impression on him. _The smell of (f/s)._ Sans thought, and hummed in delight as he unconsciously took in your smell.

 

“Can I-”

 

**_T H W A C K_ **

 

Sans flinched in his own seat when you piercingly yelped and hissed in pain, he looked over to finding you doubling over on top of the bar’s marble counter, both hands gripping the edge with white knuckles. Sans glanced over your figure to find Josh standing behind you, and without any warning, had smacked you in the back with all his strength.

 

The sound of the impact sounded dull because of what you were wearing, but it was still sharp and loud enough for other customers to hear, monsters and human alike glanced over at the bar area, wondering about the commotion. Sans was impressed at how you didn’t scream your lungs off, when you should’ve had. But instead, here you are hunched over your stomach, enduring the pain.

 

Sans was about to reach out and ask how you were when he was cut off by Josh who was hyped to order drinks. “Hey Grillby! Get her something easy to down!” Josh said excitedly “It’s to celebrate her coming home at last!” the college student exclaimed. Sans heard Grillby softly chuckle and nod to your brother’s request. “Make it _special!_ ’ He demanded and the barista went right to work, Sans watched him rest his arm around your shoulders and lean his whole weight on you.

 

“You’re such a little-” you got cut off from your sentence when the kid had suddenly released you from his grasp and leaned forward unto the counter with enthusiasm sans can’t compare to himself to imagine “and a round of drinks for me and my buddies!” the skeleton heard you groan in pain “Why…” he next heard you heave once “Why the fucking fuck would you do that.” then he heard you say that, obviously a demand, not a question. He watched you turning your head sideways to look at Josh, Sans wondered what your face is while the two of you talked in your own little world. So Sans decided to focus on your form, without a doubt that you couldn’t move to straighten out your back, your brother really went all out.

 

 _Not to eavesdrop or anything but..._ Sans thought to himself as he listened in to the conversation the two of you are having

 

“To _lighten_ you up!” Sans heard Josh exclaiming in a matter-of-fact tone while he gave you a smug look, this was probably revenge for embarrassing him earlier.

 

The skeleton snorted “Nice one, kid.” he commented, it was a clear jabbing pun towards Grillby, the bar owner on the other hand, just sighed heavily before he placed a drink in front of you.

 

“Thanks, Sans.” he said gleefully before turning to you again. “I’ll be with Keith and my buddies over the leather seats.”

 

_And off he goes._

 

Sans just stayed where he was, unsure on how to interact with you until he saw you admiring your drink. This was the perfect opportunity and that just gave him the idea of how you two could start talking.

 

“Mix it up ‘fore you drink it.” the skeleton instructed out loud.

 

He attentively watched you gasp to yourself when you realize someone was looking at you admiring your own drink in a stupefied awe. You then twist your body to the side to look at him, a smile of pain plastered to your face. Even with that kind of smile, the skeleton decided with conviction that you’re as pretty as you entered the pub. “It tastes better that way.” he offered his hand out to you. “Put a shake there, pal.” he grinned wider while introducing himself.

 

Your face lit up with a smile, apparently happy that someone decided to talk to you, and when you immediately took his hand into yours-

 

The whoopee cushion in his hand set off “ _Pfffrrtttt…_ ” came the visible sound of the wet fart of a whoopee cushion. Sans whipped back his head, roared with laughter, and not letting go of your hand while You just sat there, completely motionless, trying to process what just happened. This took Sans a few more minutes before settling down, the skeleton released an airy sigh “Never gets old.” proudly commenting on his master prank, Sans wiped a tear away from his face with his free hand, before giving you the proper hand shake you deserve. “Sans. Sans the skeleton.” he finally introduced himself.

 

With a heavy sigh and an exaggerated eye roll “(Y/n) (L/n)” you replied with hollowed enthusiasm before letting go of his hand, this came to a surprise to Sans that you didn’t find it disgusting or creepy by talking _and even_ shaking hands with a skeleton.

 

Sans gave out a low chuckle “What brings ya ‘ere?” he asked turning his body sideways this time to face you properly, leaning his head on the knuckles of his upright arm on the counter. “Aside celebratin’ yer homecoming.”

 

You crossed your legs and relaxed, by letting your side lean on the edge of the counter

 

“Accompanying my annoying little brother.” you answered him, before cocking your head to the table where Josh and his group of friends sat. Sans followed your line of sight and saw the group clearly enjoying themselves with the drinks they got earlier from the bar. “He insisted that I join him and his buddies, but just look at them, clearly in their own world.” you softly laugh, and he sees why, it was Josh being in the arms of his boyfriend, Keith. The two laughing while the others are clearly joking around.

 

“Heh, you sound lonely.” Sans gave you his remark looking back at you.

 

“I’m actually fine like this.” you replied, taking your drink into your hands and stirring it. He eyed you, fully entranced by the drink’s uniqueness “He deserves to unwind.” you giggled softly before taking a sip of the drin, at first your expression was that of amazement then it turned to wondering.

 

Sans scoffed, you were a walking-talking comedy by itself, and it wasn't a bad thing. “It’s a monster drink.” softly laughing at you before explaining. “There’s alcohol in it but it’s not the kind you guys are used to.”

 

You blinked at him and ended up with a flushed face. “I’m sorry, did I say that out loud?” you sheepishly grinned at him.

 

“Yuuup.” he replied with a drawl and returned your grin with a softer grin. “Can still get you hammered though.” he winked and he took a sip of his own drink, it was just plain blue liquid with ice in it

 

 _I should tell Grillby, that Baby Blues and THE Galaxy Drink are lame names for drinks._ He thought, but decided against it with a shrug to himself.

 

“What's the difference with ‘surface alcohol’?” you curiously ask him, and the expression on your face was adorable enough to give Sans a warm feeling in his chest.

 

“Unlike surface alcohol that makes your kind have a hangover, stomach pains, and undesirable vomit ‘splosions...” Sans swirled his drink, ice softly clinking against the glass. “Monster drinks are just magical alcoholic drinks, it goes to a different area of the body.”

 

You squint your eyes at him, clearly not understanding the ‘different area of the body.’

 

Chuckling at your face before shaking his head, explaining about how the magic alcohol would go to your soul instead was too much of a hassle, so he decided to change the topic with the one thing he knows best “You know, I was originally gonna start with an ice breaker.”

 

“Like what?” you asked him as you took a bigger sip of your drink

 

“It was a skeleton pun...” he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly “But I don’t have the _guts_ to say it now.”

 

It took you awhile before it hit you, Sans watched your face go through multiple emotions and it showed. A mixture of amusement, horror, shock, and despair, while coming to a horrible realization that you’ve fallen for the joke, complete with the hook, line and sinker. You groaned in defeat “Please Kill me.” you told him as you take another swig of your drink.

 

He laughed at your reaction “No can do, (y/n).” turning down your open offer for a sweet release of death “...I won’t have any _body_ to drink with if I do that.” Sans winked at you.

 

“Stooooop.” you hopelessly pleaded while trying to snuff out a smile from forming on your face, so you drank to hide the effort.  

 

“Come on, I find it very _humerus_.” Sans continued.

 

You snorted halfway through your drinking, the reaction was so strong that it ended up with Sans just staring at you in confused wonder. Amazed by the fact that drink had exited out of your nose instead of your mouth, you had doubled over again, coughing and wheezing and spilling the drink on the counter and on the floor.

 

Sans couldn’t contain his laughter anymore and just went hysterical “I-I’m s-s-sor” he wheezed, tipping his head back to laugh more while slapping the counter. “I d-didn’t think that wo-” he howled with laughter, the skeleton can’t even finish his sentences.

 

It was Grillby who came to your rescue, he had rushed out of the bar to get to your side, rubbing circles on your back while you hacked yourself to death with violent coughing. “Stop laughing and give me tissues, Sans.” the other ordered him as he pointed at the bar.

 

With one last huff to calm himself down, Sans stood up on his chair, leaned over the counter, rummaged through it, and pulling out some tissues for you. “Here” he snickered while handling you the tissues. To which you responsively take it and began blowing into it, you finally sat up properly and wiped your nose with the cleaner side of the used tissue.

 

You look him dead in the eyes, keeping your poker face steady. You could clearly see Sans starting to sweat and beginning to look nervous “... _Snot_ funny.” you finally said.

 

Sans doubled over this time, laughing like it was the end of the world and he hears you laughing along with him. Poor guy Grillby, who was worried about you, clearly had enough with this and went to the back of the bar. He came back holding a rag, and as he was about to wipe the floor, you stopped him in his tracks “Oh, no, I’ll do it!” you immediately say and quickly took the rag from him.

 

 _Huh._ Sans observed from where he is, and watch this new event unfold before him.

 

“But it’s my jo-” completely dumbfounded when you started to wipe the liquid off the counter

 

“It’s my mess, so of course I have to clean it.” you say without giving a glance up at Grillby, Sans continued to watch you as you got down from your stool, folded your knees, and began to wipe the bigger mess off the floor. “Here, All done.” you gave Grillby a smile before giving the soaked rag back to him.

 

 _Heh, so kind._ He says in his head, the words laced with a tone of longing and gentleness.

 

When Grillby took the rag, steam came it out of it after coming into contact with his hand “I guess, I owe you for that.” he chuckled, Sans eyed the other walking back to the bar area, where he flopped the wet rag, into the built in sink.

 

“No, no, you don’t owe me anything.” you dismissed what he said “I was just helping-”

 

“(y/n)!” Josh called out, walking up to you “Everything okay here?” he asked

 

“Yeah, everything’s fine-” you got cut off when Sans joined in the conversation.

 

“Made her laugh till she choked on her drink and spilled it.” he said with a devious grin on his face. “Sorry not sorry about that.” he gave you an apologetic wink at you.

 

You playfully roll your eyes at the skeleton, “Yeah right.”

 

Josh just looked at the two of you, as if sensing something going on between you but then Sans sees him shrugging it off “So hey, (y/n)?” the kid called out to you.

 

“Hmm?” you gave an inquisitive look at your brother.

 

“Sooooo I’ll be...uh, spending the night at Keith’s…” he was wringing his hands, clearly asking permission to leave early “And I won’t be able to walk home with you…”

 

“ _I know,_ where this is going, Josh.” you gave him a soft throaty laugh “Just go already, you spork.” you waved a hand at him, shooing him away. He squealed, clapped his hands, and gave you a hug before running up excitedly to Keith, hands immediately intertwining with each other before walking out of the bar with the rest with his college buddies

 

Sans sighed, it wasn’t a good or bad thing, he just...sighed. He was just hoping that maybe one day that you, his soul mate, would hold hands with him, Maybe even more than that. But there’s also the fear that you wont accept him to be your soulmate despite it being ‘ _destined’._

 

Watching you cup your hands over your mouth “DON’T FORGET TO USE PROTECTION!” you yelled.

 

“STOP IT!” He yelled back from the door, turning red like a tomato, Josh stuck his tongue out at you before disappearing out of sight.

 

Sans shook his head in good spirits, your love for your brother was as astounding as his love for his brother, Papyrus.

 

Sans grinned wide like a cat.“You sure love your brother.” he commented about the exchange between you and Josh.

 

“...He’s not my _brother_ brother.” you replied absentmindedly and looked up at him, he gave you a quizzical look, and that’s when you backpedalled “I mean he _is?_ But at the same time _not?_ ” you tried to explain and sighed “He’s my brother that wasn’t born into _my_ family but still blood related.” you huffed, trying real hard to give Sans the proper explanation.

 

“So, brother from another mother then?” Sans asked in uncertainty

 

You nodded “The reason he’s with me was…well...his preference.”and then you paused and looked at him with embarrassment “I-I mean, I could tell you the story about it, I’m just not sure if you wanna hear it.”

 

“‘S alright, (y/n). You can talk about it.” the skeleton reassured you with a soft voice, and then it was his turn to pause and think of what you just said.

 

A drink had appeared in front of your face before you could continue, it was a different one from earlier, it was orange and red gradient kind of drink, it was _Passion Fire_ , slightly stronger than the one you had earlier. Sans lingered his eyes on you as you gingerly taking it from Grillby “On the house.” he said, looking at you before going back to wiping washed glasses “Figured you’d need something to drink while telling a story.”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

When you ended your story telling, everything was quiet, Sans hasn’t removed his hand from your shoulder until it slowly slide off and land on his lap. Grillby had stopped wiping the glass and was just holding unto it. The skeleton never knew something that traumatizing had that much of an impact, it was a past, a memory, that both the college kid and you carry to the present. Hidden away in smiles, laughter, and the familial love you two have for each other.

 

The silence, for once, was really loud.

 

“...Sorry about this.” you finally spoke up “Tonight was supposed to be happy hours, instead I turned it into sad hours.” you flatly joke about it, and reached up with a hand to scratch the back of your head.

 

“What?” Sans placed his hand on your shoulder  “No, no. ’s my fault for being curious.”

 

“Yes, Blame him.” Grillby jokingly pointed at the skeleton with the glass he’s holding, before bending down to store the cup.

 

“Not helping, Grillbz.” Sans laughed and took his hand off your, giving Grillby a finger gun.

 

“You made her tell the story.” the other countered.

 

“Didn’t know it’ll be like that.” he replied before finishing his drink.

 

You finally laughed while him and the elemental bickered around. “...Thanks for listening, I guess.” you leaned on your palm “I guess I’ve been holding my breath for a long time,” you drummed your fingers against your cheek. “It did lift some kind of weight off me.” you hummed at them

 

“Come on,” Sans gave you a soft punch on the arm “The night’s still pretty young.” he nodded at the wall clock behind you.

 

It was still nine in the evening, you gave Sans a confused look, and just to be sure you also checked your phone, staring at the screen a bit longer before looking up at him, he just gave you a mischievous look “How-”  

“The drinks does that to ya.” he grinned and began to explain, “Magic in the monster drinks, messes up your sense of time, making it feel like it went by quickly. So happy hours hasn’t ended quite yet, princess.” He motioned his hands towards Grillby and let out a gravelly laugh.

 

He saw you shudder at the sound of his voice, while you gave yourself a confused as you placed your hand on your chest, but then you dismissed it by giving Sans a mischievous look of your own “Well... _since,_ it’s still early…” you drummed both hands on your knees. “ _And_ I don’t have any other plans…”

 

“Oh, the suspense is killing me.” Sans said, mocking you with a grin, letting one eye close and the other open. He leaned his body against the counter, and leaned his head against his bony palm, acting chill but when in reality he was trying hard to hide his turn on. Why’d you have to go and give him that look?    

 

“How about we drink till we can’t take it?” you leaned forward, face just inches away from his. Straining a grin, Sans gritted his teeth and forced himself not to impulsively kiss you then and there.

 

He raised an eyebrow at you, “...Is that a challenge?” he kept his ground, not moving his face away from you.

 

You innocently shrugged your shoulders at him “do you think it is?” you sensually purred your question at him.

 

Minutes goes by and neither of you guys were talking or moving, you both stayed in that position as if as staring contest was going on. “...ya betting something?” he finally asked after some contemplation. Drinking contest or not, Sans really just wanted to stay with you a bit more, despite just meeting you today and making you choke with his jokes, his soul just longed for you.

 

His soul mate.

 

You pulled back and stretched your arms up, before going back to slump against the bar’s counter, the action flashed a tiny peek of your waist at him  “Would you drink the night away with me if I said yes?” you look at him with half-lidded eyes while drumming your fingers.

 

“Depends on what ya betting...” he replied lazily, his voice even more deeper and rich, trying so hard to hide the lust in his voice...he tried..

 

He saw you shudder again and shifted in your seat “Hmm…” you hummed. “A night with me?”

 

He blinked in surprise, it took all of his might to keep his composure cool “...You’re joking right?”

 

“Yup~” you grinned and laughed at him “You’re reaction was priceless!”

 

“Heh.” he chuckled nervously before composing himself again “Come on, princess. Don’t go teasing the bones like that.”

 

You laughed even harder “Okay, okay, okay.” you wheeze while gathering yourself. “How about ...dinner together? Tomorrow?” you looked at him with eyes of amusement, but it had a genuine look of friendliness.

 

Sans pondered on the bet for a while “Heh, sure.” finally answering you as he hopped down his stool. “Let’s get comfortable then.” he nodded at an empty corner table with two leather seats facing against each other.   

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

  


“Heeey guuuuuyyyssssssss~” you called out to the skeleton and elemental barista sitting across you “ Why did the-” you burped “Why did the skeleton c...climb up the treeeeeee???” you giggled.

 

Sans chuckled, leaning on table, with his cheek against his knuckles “Alright. that’s your last joke, princess. After that, I’ll bring you home.” you were completely hammered, though it did surprise him that you could hold yourself this long while drinking magical liquor from the underground.

 

“Com’oooooooon aaaaassssk.” you waved both arms in front of him while your boots thumped heavily underneath the table “ask ask ask!!” you impatiently demanded their attention.

 

Sans shook his head and inwardly laughed “Okay, why?”

 

“‘Caussse a doggy was after his bones!!” you guffawed and slammed both hands repeatedly on the table’s surface.

 

The two monsters couldn’t help but laugh at you. Sans seems to have lost and Grillby just doubled over and was laughing his ass off against the wall. How could you be this adorable? Sans hadn’t really pegged you the type to be the talkative drunk, but now he knows.

 

“Izz empty.” you sadly said, leaning your back against the chair.

 

“Good,” Sans commented “It’s time to get you home.” standing up to walk over to your side, he pondered to himself whether he should grab you by the shoulders and let you walk or carry you bridal style.

“Nooooooo~” you whined and rocked your head back and forth against the leather cushioned chair “Wanna drink moooooorre~!” he rolled his eyes in amusement, a smile growing wider at your childish tantrum.

  

“No can do, (y/n)” he said in a sing song voice. “It’s already two in the morning, and Grillbz here still has to close up.” He sees you groan, sliding down the chair, settling cozily on the seat on you side.

 

“(y/n), come on.” Sans called out to you once more. “(y/n)?” he towered over your figure, “Huh.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Grillby had already left the seat and was already sweeping the floor of his pub.

 

“Princess fell asleep.” he nodded to your direction.

 

“Do you know where she lives?” Grillby asked Sans before peering over his shoulder to take a look at you.

 

“Can’t do a shortcut if I don’t know her address, plus I need to _actually_ put her on a bed.” the skeleton replied.

 

“Well…” the elemental paused “...you could let her sleep at your place?”

 

It took him some minutes to think of other solutions, but right now that was the best bet “I guess that works.” Sans shrugged, slowly taking your hands and gently pulling you towards him. You moan in protest “Sshh, I got you.” he cooed and placed your head on his shoulder. Calmly gathering you into his arms, carrying you bridal style “See ya, Grillbz.” he told the other before disappearing into thin air.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, trusting your gut feeling is never a good feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys, I was able to finish chapter 2 but I couldn't add in Sans POV. enjoy!

**_The distant sound of a beating heart stirs you awake, and when you opened your eyes, all you could see was the darkness all around you, and this fills you with fear._ **

 

**_Then silence fell._ **

 

**_Sounds of gunfire, explosions, and people screaming erupted, you try to move your body, but it was useless._ **

 

**_You shut your eyes and cover your ears with your hands instead, but the horrific sounds still penetrated through._ **

 

**_Then silence fell again._ **

 

**_And when you opened your eyes, the scenery has changed from a void to the place you don’t ever want to go back again, it was the frontlines. Hiding behind a broken wall, you and your squad try to fight your way out of this, shooting bullet after bullet at the enemy soldiers, who have families. Children, parents, siblings, all waiting for them to come home, either incomplete or in a coffin._ **

 

**_It was the same thing with you, you either come home to your family incomplete or in a coffin._ **

 

**_You relive the horror again and again as day after day, time ticking away at your sanity, barely running on enough food and water, you suffer heavily from what you see and experienced. A town once thriving with people became a warzone, a school where children go to learn became an emergency war clinic, and the once vendor-filled streets became empty._ **

 

**_Everyday you questioned yourself, you questioned your beliefs, your duties, your responsibilities. Everyday it was a war in your head, and then it happened._ **

 

**_You wake up on the ground, ears ringing and vision impaired, you steady yourself and surrounding you were the bodies of your fallen comrades. It was the day a bomb was dropped on the neutral zone, people were killed in that moment, both civilians and soldiers._ **

 

**_Dragging yourself to a corner, you cradled yourself as you cry in sadness for them, for the people who lost their life._ **

 

**_Then silence fell once again._ **

**_And when you looked up, the scenery changed, you were at the backseat of your family’s car, your mom and dad at the front, it was raining outside of the vehicle._ **

 

**_You woke up lying on top of the hood of the car, your parents dangling in their seats upside down, you curl into a fetus position and cried. It was the day your parents died in a car crash and only you survived._ **

 

**_Then you heard the same distant sound of a heart beating, looking up, you find yourself standing in front of an inverted white heart, its light shining with a soft blue shade that calms you down. You reach for it and cradle it close to your chest, tears silently flowing down your face as you listened to it beating, as if saying ‘it’s alright, let it all out’---_ **

 

You woke up with a start and fell off, you cradle your nose gently after painfully face planting first unto the floor, you look around groggily. And took a moment to realize that you weren’t in your apartment, but in someone else’s house. Looking around more, you find yourself beside a green couch with the blanket used on you trailing from the seat down to where it tangled around your waist, in front of you and the couch was a flat screen tv on top of a coffee table, and right beside it was a sock with a sticky note war. And to your right, was a dining table with a rock on a dish? 

 

You try to stand up with the blanket falling off you, still getting your bearings with your barely awake body, you sighed heavily and stretched with your arms up in the air as you hear those delicious cracks in your bones. Noticing how cold the floor was, you look down to see your boots and socks have been taken off and placed neatly beside the couch. You rubbed your feet together, trying to warm them but failed, the whole living room at the moment was chilly so you took the blanket off the floor and wrapped it around yourself. Then a door somewhere up the second floor opened, it was quiet jingle of the door knob but it was still loud enough for you to hear, considering that right now it’s still pretty much quiet in a calming way.

 

You see Sans coming into view as he descended the stairs slowly, wearing a white tshirt and the same bottoms, you watch him rubbing his face with both hands before yawning into them. You just idly stand and watched him pass you by, sluggishly walking his way into the kitchen, you hear the clinking sounds of glass and the faucet running.

 

Silence enveloped the living room before you hear the shuffling of his slippers. He appears and just stands there by the kitchen door frame, still drinking his glass of water, then he sees you up and about and spits out his water.

 

“Don’t go scaring the bones-” he huffs “-like that, princess.” he finally ends his sentence with a pained look over to you, having spit out his water in shock.

 

“Oooohh, _ boo-nes _ .” you mock him with a wiggle of your body as your blanket-covered hands flail eerily in front of you.

 

This action earned you a cough and a chuckle at the same time. “Morning.” you joke at him, giving him a small smile.

 

“Mornin’.” he replied as he walked over to you and plopped himself down “How long were you awake?” he asked you with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Not too long ago? I guess...minutes when you came down.” you thoughtfully said and shrugged your shoulders.

 

The other hummed at your answer and took another sip of his glass of water. “It’s still pretty early.” he said and checked his phone, you look at the object with awe, it must be the rumored monster phone that Josh talked to you about last night “It’s five in the morning.”

 

_ Huh, feels like more than that. _ You thought to yourself.

 

“I’m used to it.” you replied nonchalantly and stare down at your feet, you wiggle the toes and tap the floor with the soles of your feet.

 

Sans hummed again at your answer and reached out to ruffle your hair “Sleep more then.” he simply replied before taking away his hand as he placed the now empty glass besides your boots.

 

You softly laughed without even batting an eye to him “I...I don’t think I can.” you fiddle around with the edge of the blanket near your arms. Sans was silently looking at you and you could feel his stare, you timidly look back at him. He sighed and reached for the back of his skull, scratching it thoughtfully, you hear the soft rasps the scratches make as his phalanges came into contact with his head. You hear him mumble under his breath, he turns to look at you with an apologetic look, you tilt your head on confusion.

 

“Don’t be alarmed but…” he paused and kind of rubbed the back at his neck in an unsure manner “I-I don’t know if this’ll help ya and  _ I know _ ...this is weird considering we’ve just met last night...” he reached out a hand his free hand, waiting for you to take it. “Why don’t you...try sleeping in my arms?”

 

You were taken aback by what he said, completely unsure if this was a good idea but at the same time it did feel like it  _ is _ a good idea and you were in good hands. “Uhm...sure?” you take his hand and you feel him gently pulling you along as he settled down on his back against the arm of the couch. 

 

You settled awkwardly on his ribcage, the tension that the two of you can feel made it hard for both of you to relax. 

 

“Alright, hold on.” he said, you got up for a bit and you see him lying down completely on his back with one bony leg up against the couch’s back support and the other dangling on the side of the open area of the couch, the front of him spacious enough for you to lie down on. “C’mere…” he takes your hand again and pulls you gently towards him.

 

You lay back down on top of his ribcage, head snug between his collarbone and under his mandible, your arm lazily on top of his clavicle. You sighed deeply, it was weird but not disgusting weird, you felt his ribcage expand and contract, a realization that he’s  _ actually _ breathing.

 

Then you felt it, confusingly not directly from his chest, it was as if his heartbeat was beating  _ around _ you. You felt his boney hand run through your hair on the back of your head, the tips of his phalanges slowly stroking your scalp in a soft and lazy manner. His other hand was loosely placed on top of your back, and he began to rub in a circular movement 

 

You inhaled deeply, his scent catching your nose, it was the smell of dry bones and a hint of floral detergent.

 

“Comfy?” he finally spoke up, still not stopping the two movements he was doing to you.

 

“Mhmm.” you nodded and snuggled closer to him.

 

It was odd for you, you were...relaxed, comfortable even, despite Sans being all bones underneath his clothes.

 

“That’s good…” he quietly replied and hugged you closer to him.

 

You felt your chest tingle, the same feeling you had at the bar while you were enjoying the night with Sans. Slowly your eyes felt heavy, you try to fight back the drowsiness that was slowly blanketing you. But you couldn’t take it anymore, so you yawned with a shaky breath against his mandible. 

 

“Sshhh…” the other gingerly crooned above your head, brushing the backside of your ear with his thumb, a trail of lukewarm numbing sensations being left behind by his movements. Then he hummed a tune, further alluring you into sleep, you yawned once again and closed your eyes.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

You woke up again, but this time it was to a soft and relaxed snoring above your head, time must’ve passed by a lot if Sans was this deeply asleep with you in his arms. You wiggle out of his arms and slowly sat up with the blanket sliding off you, careful not to disturb the sleeping skeleton with your movements as you successfully release yourself. You were surprised that you were able to fall back to sleep, whatever the skeleton did to you worked wonders, hopefully you’ll remember to ask him about it.

 

You look around for your phone and when you saw it on the floor, you immediately reach out for it. And when you grabbed and opened it, texts and miscalls from Josh filled your phone’s lock screen. 

 

Unlocking it, you went through a series of texts from your messenger, it was mostly Josh filling it to the brim, but there was one person whom you’ve been waiting to reply since last night. Your boyfriend, Trey. 

 

**Trey:**

Sorry, couldn’t meet up with u last nyt.

 

**(y/n):**

Is cool. Got free time later on? 

 

**Trey:**

Cant. Busy. Sorry.

 

**(y/n):**

Oh Alright...

C u soon then?

 

**Trey:**

Yeah.

 

You sighed heavily at how the conversation between you and Trey went, it was rather...unfulfilling, then you went back to scrolling through your messenger. You tap on Josh’s icon and the messenger pops up for you to look into, it was a series of texts and video miscalls from the college student

 

**Baby Bro:**

(Y/n)! Are u back to ur apartment yet?????

 

**Baby Bro:**

Mrs b’s asking if u’re gonna get ur bags from the foster care soon?????

 

**Baby Bro:**

Come on & reply to me already (y/n) 

Aaaaaaaaaaaa

 

**Baby Bro:**

(y/n)!

(y/n)!

(y/n)!

(y/n)!

(y/n)!

(y/n)!

(y/n)!

 

**Baby Bro:**

It’s already lunch time, you better be awake.

 

**(y/n):**

Morning sorry juz woke up :P

 

**Baby Bro:**

Rude. don’t keep me waiting for ur reply :P

 

**(y/n):**

Cant help it, waz completely hammered last nyt.

 

**Baby Bro:**

Were u drinking with sans the whole nyt?

 

**(y/n):**

Pretty much yeah

 

**Baby Bro:**

Are you still with him ryt now? ;))))

 

**(y/n):**

Am literally IN his house

 

**Baby Bro:**

Dang Gurl, already pouncing on him. ;)))

 

**(y/n):**

Idjit its not lyk dat, anyways dinner later? Sans coming with us btw.

 

**Baby Bro:**

Sure can I bring keith along?

 

**(y/n):**

Sure c u la8r <3

 

**Baby bro:**

C UUUUUUU SISSS <3

 

Now that’s out of the way, you look over to Sans, who's still sleeping but in a different position than he was earlier, this time his whole skeletal arm was over his eye sockets. The pose exposed his humerus, where the radius and ulna are connected to and next was the carpal and metacarpal connected to those two bones, and then it was his finger/phalanges lazily folding inward.You watch him move a bit and change into another position, this time he was lying on his side, his whole front faced the television. You chuckled and noticed his basketball shorts has hitched up and exposed his skeletal legs, it showed you his femur and tibia with the kneecap connecting the two, then beside the tibia was the fibula, the two bones are connected to the tarsal and the metatarsal bones which connects to the phalanges of the toes.

 

Then the entrance door opened, you shift your attention to the new arrival of a taller skeleton walking through, and in his arms were paper bags of groceries “I SEE, THAT YOU ARE AWAKE NOW, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WISH YOU A GOOD MORNING!” he said in a booming voice as he quickly walked over to your side, now that he was closer to you, the other skeleton was actually taller than you’d expect. “EVEN THOUGH IT IS LUNCH TIME. MAY I KNOW YOUR NAME? I HAVEN’T HAD THE CHANCE TO KNOW YOU BEFORE MY BROTHER SETTLED YOU DOWN ON THE COUCH!”

 

“O-oh, uh, good morning to you too?” you sheepishly smiled at the taller skeleton “The name’s (Y/n) (L/n)” you introduced yourself, then noticed Sans waking up and shift in his area of the couch “Hey, Paps.” he yawned, sitting up and rubbed his face with one hand, trying to rub away the sleepiness present in his face and voice. “Where've you been?” he asked in husky voice.

 

“GOOD MORNING TO YOU TOO BROTHER!” the other replied in his booming voice again. “I, THE GREAT AND ENERGETIC PAPYRUS, WENT OUT TO DO SOME GROCERY SHOPPING ALONGSIDE FRISK AND THE QUEEN! I WILL GO MAKE LUNCH NOW!” he said before turning his attention towards you again “I TAKE IT THAT YOU WILL EAT LUNCH WITH US?” he innocently asked you.

 

“You won’t mind?” you asked, feeling embarrassed that you’ve already imposed by sleeping on their couch. “I mean, I’ve already claimed the couch and I don’t want to overstay my welcome here.”

 

“NONSENSE! YOU ARE A GUEST HERE AND IT IS BETTER WITH WHAT YOU HUMANS SAY ‘THE MORE, THE MERRIER!’” Papyrus replied joyously in his reverberating voice before leaving for the kitchen to cook.

 

“‘S alright, (y/n).” Sans assured you with a tired lopsided grin “Paps likes it when we have guests over.” he said and you noticed the fondness in his tone for his brother. You giggled into your hand before looking at him. 

 

“You sure love your brother, huh?” you used the same words he said to you last night.

 

“Heh, using my own words against me huh?” he smirked at you and looked around for the tv remote “He’s pretty cool, I’m grateful for him.” he added then you saw him point at the remote he was looking for and from the dining table, the remote flew towards his hand. You gasped in surprise. “Sorry, it’s a habit.” he apologized to you while turning on the television.

 

“That was really awesome!” you childishly commented.

 

“You’re exaggerating.” Sans scoffed at you, as he goes through some channels before opening netflix. 

 

“No, really! That was insanely cool!” you commented further.

 

“Pssh, stop it.” he laughed, a soft shade of blue fills his cheekbones “’S just magic.” he shrugged, trying to hide his embarrassment from you being in awe with this tiny motion of magic he did.

 

You laughed at his reaction and plop down, mimicking his sitting. “So about dinner…” you started, not moving your eyes away from the screen “I know a place, and it’s my  _ favourite _ place to eat in, and Josh and his boyfriend will be coming…” you turn your head to him, and you find him just lazily watching an episode of a random tv show.

 

“If you’re wondering if I mind the company of additional people-” he gave you a sideways glance “...I really don’t mind.” Sans finished with a wink at you before going back to the tv.

 

“Great! Bring Papyrus along!” you grinned at him, and as if on cue, the taller skeleton appeared halfway through the kitchen door frame “HAVE YOU CALLED FOR ME, HUMAN?”

 

“Oh? What? Oh no, it’s nothing!” you meekly replied

 

“IF IT IS NOTHING…” Papyrus paused before smiling back at you “THEN IT IS TIME FOR LUNCH! I HAVE PREPARED MY BEST DISHES FOR SANS’ GUEST!” he walked up to you, then placed his red-gloved hands under your armpits and carried you like a cat towards the kitchen, you yelped and look at Sans for help, but the other skeleton could only laugh at you helplessly.

 

Papyrus then gently placed you down on one of the dining table chairs, and when you’ve calmed down your panicking heart, in front of you was a variety of dishes. Scrambled and sunny side up eggs, toasted bread, some fruits you’ve never seen before to which you’ve guessed must be monster fruits, and a plate of spaghetti and carbonara pasta. “Oh, wow.” you gaped in astonishment. “I just-wow, I’m so amazed.” you look up at Papyrus who has a proud look on his face. 

 

“NYEH HEH! YOUR AWESTRUCK EXPRESSION AND WORDS SPEAKS VOLUMES, HUMAN!” he proudly said and posed joyfully 

 

“Are you sure, it’s fine for me to eat lunch with you guys?” you asked once again, trying to reassure yourself that your stay here is still a valid permission.

 

“‘S like I told you, (y/n).” Sans took a seat in front of you “It’s fine for you to be here.” he said in a sleepy tone. “‘Sides I still need to take you back home.” he said as his eyes glowed from within his eye sockets, instead of the usual pin pricks, it was larger and seemed to have soften edges. But his eyes still had a sharpness to them.

 

You placed a hand on your chest, once again feeling a tingling ache.

 

“NOW THEN! HELP YOURSELF TO SOME FOOD, HUMAN!” Papyrus urged you as he took a seat at the head of the table.

 

And you did, you took the plate of eggs and took a sunny side up, you then passed the eggs plate to Sans who was waiting for it while he held the plate of toasted bread up, you two exchanged the plates in perfect harmony. Papyrus on the other hand was enjoying his plate of spaghetti, leaving the carbonara untouched, you’d guess he’d eat that after eating the spaghetti, so you took two toasted bread from the plate Sans gave you and you placed the plate with the leftover toasted bread in front of Papyrus. 

 

Papyrus nodded thankfully at you and took the bread and ate it.

 

“Mmm!?” you accidentally moaned in surprise “WOW, What is this?!” you asked papyrus with a genuine surprised look on your face. “It tastes incredible!”

 

Papyrus gave you another proud look with his hand on his chest, posing elegantly at the table “THAT, MY FRIEND, IS MONSTER FOOD!” he proudly claimed “ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT!” he said and pushed the carbonara to you.

 

You look at Sans with bewilderment, clearly looking for an explanation from him. He coughed into his hand, the shorter skeleton waved his hand at the cabinet and a glass came out, next was the faucet opening. A glass of water immediately gravitates towards Sans’s outstretched hand and he took a long drink from it before looking at you “Sorry ‘bout that, choked on a bread.” he chuckled.

 

“No worries but how-” you paused “how is this incredibly good?” you were able to ask after taking a forkful of the carbonara and ate it happily.

 

He softly laughed “Just like the Monster drinks we had at Grillby’s, the food you’re eating right now have magic in them.” he explained. “Monster food have more enhanced flavors because of the magic in them, though it’s best if humans don’t consume it every single day for every meal.”

 

“Why’s that?” you asked after taking another mouthful of eggs on your toast. 

“You guys may have completely forgotten about magic, but it’s still present in your body, what monster food does is fuel that magic that’s within our bodies” he paused to eat for a bit “And not only that, it also heals you physically.” he explained further while pointing his bread at you.

 

“Then why is it a bad thing for us, humans, consuming it everyday in every single meal?” you asked again, curiosity taking over you.

 

“Like I said, there’s still magic inside of you guys, but if you let yourself feed on monster food almost every single day, it’ll cause your body to react negatively” he looked at you with piercing eyes, as if a predator ready to pounce on his prey. “Do you know why?”

 

You shake your head slowly.

 

“Dormant magic in the individual’s body tend to go out of control, too much magic inside a body who hasn’t practiced magic in years will cause a balance shift with your soul and physical body. It’ll cause fevers, hallucinations, uncontrollable sex drive, and even death.” he says in a serious tone. “There are ways for magic to be released if too much has been bottled up. But, uh, I’ll save that for future explaining.” he awkwardly said and his cheekbones was slightly dusted with a soft shade of blue, just like earlier.

 

“AND THAT IS WHY HUMANS SHOULDN’T RELY TOO MUCH ON MONSTER FOOD! YOU HUMANS HAVEN’T DONE ANY MAGIC EVER SINCE WE, MONSTERS, GOT LOCKED UP IN THE UNDERGROUND.” Papyrus chimed in. “AND DESPITE THE ENHANCED TASTE IN THEM, MONSTER FOOD HAVE LITTLE TO ZERO NUTRIENTS THAT HUMANS NEED TO LIVE DAY TO DAY!”  he finished and went back to eating his spaghetti, you passed the plate of carbonara over to Sans, but he declines, so you passed it over to Papyrus to which he gratefully accepts.

 

“...Are you guys able to eat human food though?” you asked the two in a puzzled look.

 

“WELL, WE CERTAINLY CAN.” Papyrus answered. “BUT IT MAKES US SICK-”

 

“We have to take some kind of medicine.” Sans cut in

 

“Oh? Why?” you asked again.

 

“You’re a curious one aren’t ya, (y/n)?” the skeleton sitting in front of you laughed with a low tone in his throat. “Some monsters are able to take in human food like its their second nature. But some monsters, like me and Paps here, can’t break down the foods as naturally as you guys. The lack of magic in them and purely nutrient filled causes us to be sick.” 

 

“Huh…” you rack your brain before looking up at the two with guilt “Will you guys be alright for the dinner later?”

 

“Don’t worry about us.” Sans reassured you with a wave of a bony hand.

 

“DINNER?” Papyrus looked at you, then looks at Sans “ARE WE GOING TO HAVE DINNER TOGETHER LATER THIS EVENING?!” He asks excitingly.

 

You laughed and nodded, today’s brunch was wonderful and you enjoyed every single moment about it.

 

“We better hurry and get you home, princess.” Sans called out to you “You still need to doll yourself up, right?” he winked at you before getting up from his chair and going back to the living room.

 

“Thanks for the delicious brunch, Papyrus!” you stood up and hugged the other skeleton before following after Sans.

 

“NYEH HEH! YOU’RE MOST WELCOME, HUMAN!” he responded with a hug of his own before letting you go after his brother. 

 

The moment you reached the living room, you then aim for your boots and socks, quickly putting them on with the ends of your pants tucked in messily. You stand up to meet Sans’s gaze.

 

“Ready?” he asked you and held out a hand. “We’re gonna take a shortcut.” he winked

 

“A shortcut?.” you reply and gingerly placed your hand on top of his, he closed his phalanges around your hand and held tight, but not tight enough to hurt you.

 

He nodded “Just tell me the name of a place, better yet, the specific address of the place you want to me to take you.”

 

“Oh, uhm, wait” you said and fished out your phone from your pocket with your free hand, you showed him the address of the foster care house. “There, that place, I still need to get my thing from there.”

 

He hummed and pulled your closer to him, your were eyelevel with his shoulder. “Close your eyes.” he whispered sensuously.

 

Your breath hitched and your chest becoming warm, you quickly shut your eyes, and you felt the pull on your body.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

You look up at the ceiling of your apartment as you soaked yourself up to the shoulders in the bathtub. Recalling earlier events, who knew that Bertha knew Sans? The two exchanged pleasantries like they’ve been friends for awhile now. You guess, since years have passed by, you shouldn’t be surprised if everyone knew each other at some point. You submerged yourself even further down until water had submerged your mouth, you blew bubbles underneath and watched the water ripple in front of you.

 

But what about Sans? The more you think of him, the more your chest tightens. Last night and earlier at his house was a rollercoaster, well, a mild rollercoaster with a few bumps and turns.

 

You couldn’t really explain or put a term on the feeling but it in a sense, when you’re with him, it feels...calming. It’s like the two of you were meant to meet at some point? No, no, no, no, what are you saying? These are just feelings of friendship! Yeah friendship! You’re just on the road of becoming good friends with Sans!

 

_ I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.  _ You thought and completely went underwater, trying to drown out these…. _ thoughts. _

 

_ You have Trey for that, girl.  _ You harshly scold yourself inside of your mind.

 

Yes, you do have Trey for that, and you’re forever grateful to the fact that he’s still by your side without being affected by the years of being apart from each other, despite the uneventful conversation you guys had earlier…you still love him. And you have the worse intuition in things, and right now? You’re just having this nagging feeling in the back of your head that something’s is gonna go awry, you fiddle with the ring hanging around your neck on a necklace. 

 

A gift Trey got you before you left for training.

 

You ascend from your watery thinking and got out of the tub, you quickly dry yourself with your towel. Turning on the hair dryer on its makeshift that leaves your hands free, you do multiple things at once, brushing your teeth, drying and combing your hair, and doing light makeup. And by light makeup, you just used a bit of foundation, eyeliner, and lipstick, since you guys are just going to have casual dinner, there’s really no need to go all out on the face.

 

Turning off the hairdryer and fixing your hair with just a puff with your hands, you put on the underwear you already laid out for yourself. After struggling for a bit, you then go to your room where you still need to pick out what to wear, you rummage through the hangers, a dress? Nah, too breezy. Crop top and jeans? It’s not that hot, and you don’t feel like showing the world your scars. Who are you kidding? You’d pretty feel much at home with just wearing a nice graphic tee, skinny jeans, and… huh. Boots or sneakers?  

 

You contemplated long enough before you noticed your phone buzz on your bed. Putting on the shirt and jeans before reaching out to your phone, you swipe it open and see a text from Sans. you heart skipped a beat, and you quickly dismissed it. 

 

The two of you had exchanged numbers after he dropped you off to your apartment when you’ve finally gotten your things from Bertha from the foster care house.

 

**Sans:**

Where do we meet up?

 

_ Heh, so formal.  _ You thought when you read his message, you felt compelled like you have to reply to his text in proper spelling.

 

**(y/n):**

You guys can wait for me with Josh and Keith at the resto.

The two are already there claiming the reserved spot for us.

 

**Sans:**

Oh.

Thought this was just casual dinner?

 

**(y/n):**

It IS.

The resto we’re eating at gets busy quickly, so sometimes having a reservation helps than waiting for an available table.

 

**Sans:**

Point taken.

I’ll see you there?

I mean, we’ll see you there.

yeah , me and paps will.

Even Josh and Keith.

Your chest tingling at how many messages he sent, as if trying to cover up a mistake. You laughed in embarrassment for yourself for thinking that it might meant something.

 

**(y/n):**

Sure thing, I’ll see you guys there.

 

You exhaled, releasing a breath that you didn’t know you were holding in for. You went back to choosing what shoes to wear before finally settling with going for the blue converse shoes. You phone buzzes to life again and you peek at the screen to see a text from Josh this time. You swipe it open again and the screen jumped to the text messenger pop up.

 

**Baby Bro:**

Gurl wat is taking u so fkn long?

 

**(y/n):**

Almost done bb

Gonna b heading out nw

 

**Baby Bro:**

U better get ur ass here soon

The skelebros are here already here

SANS IS KILLING ME N KEITH N PAPYRUS HERE WITH JOKES RYT OFF D BAT

PLS SEND HELP ASAP

HE WNT STOP WITH THE PUUUUUUUNNSSS

H E L P

 

You snorted and laughed to yourself after being bombarded with text after text of Josh’s pain and agony, you shrug, better head out meet up with them then. You took the small shoulder bag that contained all of your essentials, you took your favourite jacket that was hanging off the door   and then you rushed out and lock it.

 

It hadn’t took you thirty minutes to arrive at your favourite resto, because one: it’s just right around the corner, two: the food is great despite the cheap price, and three: it’s pretty easy to locate once you find a line of people waiting outside for a vacant table.

 

You walk up to the person in charge of taking you to your table, and when she saw you, she gave you her professional smile. “Waiting for a table?” she asked in a sweet tone.

 

“Oh no, I’ve already booked.” you answered with a shake of your hands at her

 

“Name please?” she asked again, patiently waiting for you as she opened the guest book.

 

“Oh it’s (Y/n) (L/n).” you replied, also waiting for her to find your table.

 

She beams up at you and gestures for you to go inside, “Right this way.” she walks ahead of you and you follow closely, once inside the resto, you could tell it had changed a lot, still the same formal home-ish theme, but bigger and more space. The restaurant, was just able to table just twenty people back then, now? More than that. There’s even a second floor and balcony. The usherette kept walking ahead and brought you to the second floor, there you can see tell which table is yours, Papyrus being tall gave it away. Not to be rude to the staff who took you here, you still followed her, and when she halted in front of the table “Enjoy!” she chirped before going back to her station downstairs.

 

“Hey guys-” you called out and see Josh with his head on his hands, Keith contemplating with a serious face, Papyrus frozen in his seat, and Sans laughing his ass off. “...are you guys alright?”

 

“H-hey there, (y/n)” it was Sans who spoke up, containing his laughter “I think I caused a murder scene here.” he joked while pointing at the trio that were the receiving end of his jokes.

 

Josh groaned out loud “PLEASE MAKE HIM STOP.” he half yelled, half demanded. Keith could only sigh heavily from his seat and placed a hand on Josh’s shoulder.

 

“(Y/N)! YOU ARE HERE AT LAST!” Papyrus chimed in, seemingly to regain his boisterous self “TAKE A SEAT BESIDE SANS!” He pointed at the chair, looking at you with pleading eyes that said ‘PLEASE-SEAT-THERE-AND-SHUT-HIM-UP’ kind of look, you noticed Papyrus, dressed in a gray sweater and jeans, accompanied by stylish sneakers..

 

“Sure thing.” you shrugged and took the seat beside him, you then noticed how Sans was dressed for today, he was wearing a deep blue blazer with a hoodie attached to it. And his shirt was plain white but had the black printed words of ‘Cool dude’ on it, he was also wearing jeans and blue converse, It looks great on him. Then you realized you were staring and tore your eyes away from him. “Did you guys order yet?”

 

“As you can see-” Josh waved his hand above the table “We haven’t yet.”

 

“You guys should’ve ordered earlier?” you look at your brother in a questioning manner.

 

“Order without you?” he looks back at you with mild shock on his face “I mean we could have but where’s the fun in eating together if we don’t order together?”

 

“Aside from going hungry?” you scoffed, and skimmed through the menu that’s been laid out on the table.

 

“Har har, very funny.” Josh replied and followed your action. Even Keith who was lifeless earlier skimmed through the menu, Sans and Papyrus was already looking at the monster food section. 

 

_ Huh, the restaurant serves monster food now. _ not surprising to you now. 

 

“Everyone got their picks already?” you asked them, Josh and Keith mumbled to each other for a bit before nodding at your direction. The two skeleton brothers were still going through the monster food menu before the two looked up at you. 

 

“WE HAVE CHOSEN OUR PICK, HUMAN!” the taller skeleton said gleefully.

 

“Ready when you are.” Sans followed and winked at you.

 

“Alrighty then.” you acknowledged and raised your hand to call for a waiter to take your orders, one immediately came up to your side, it was a rabbit monster, and in their hands was a pen and notepad. You pointed out some of the dishes on the menu you’re holding, Josh and Keith said theirs, and Sans just pointed to a picture example of a TLC monster burger, while Papyrus ordered Italian monster meatballs spaghetti.

 

The waiter took each order carefully unto their notepad, once everyone gave their orders, the waiter disappeared as fast as they appeared.

 

You glance at the people you’re with, Josh and his boyfriend we’re talking to themselves, you weren’t sure but you heard them talking about moving in together. Sans and Papyrus were also talking to themselves. But Sans noticed you look at them, and he gives you another wink, you scoffed and wink back at him. He gives you this dumbfounded look before his cheeks flush in a soft blue shade.

 

You accidentally laughed out loud, and this gets you all of their attention. “Just remembered something.” you lied, and Sans just rolled his eyes at you. “Hey Josh?” you look at the college student, trying to change the subject “Remember that time when you accidentally ate Dad’s spicy chicken wings here?”

 

“Oh, man. Yeah, I do.” he replied with a soft laugh “fanning my mouth with my bare hands and taking everyone’s glass of water and spilling it on me was unforgettable.”

 

“You even choked on the water, and it came out of your nose” You laughed along.

 

“Heh, Just like what happened at Grillby’s last night.” Sans commented.

 

“We don’t talk about that.” you jokingly point a finger at him.

 

“I HEARD FROM MY BROTHER THAT HE JOKED AROUND AND MADE YOU CHOKE LAST NIGHT, HUMAN!” Papyrus bellowed at you.

 

“Yes, your brother is to blame for that.” you giggled.

 

“Whaddya say-” he shrugs “Am good at making them choke.” he added and looked at you with the eyes that gives you the shudders.

 

“Really, Sans?” you raised an eyebrow while grinning at him “A sexual joke? Here? In a family restaurant? What a rebel.”

 

He shrugged while chuckling to himself. “Breaking the rules is what I’m here for, princess.”

You feel Josh softly kick you in the shin, you look over to him and you see this shit eating grin he has on his face, he wiggled his eyebrows at you. Keith has the same expression, but finger guns at your direction instead.

 

But before you could retaliate, the waiter who took the group’s orders, came back with two full trays of the ordered food. Another waiter popped up to assist the other and they skillfully place each food item in front of you, along with the drinks. “Enjoy your food!” they both say before going back to the hustling down stairs.

“What did you order?” Josh asked and looked over to your plate

 

“Oh, the usual.” you said in a singsong voice. “Haven’t eaten this in  _ years. _ ”

 

“Yeah I could tell.” he says matter-of-fact. “Well, at least you get to eat it now!” he cheerfully said.

 

“OH I CAN’T WAIT TO DIG IN!” Papyrus childishly said. “THIS SPAGHETTI LOOKS VERY APPETIZING! I SHALL ASK THE CHEF ABOUT THIS AFTER WE ARE DONE WITH DINNER!” he remarked in awe, completely entranced by the spaghetti’s appearance.

 

“Heh, better eat it quick so you can go talk to them soon.” Sans suggested to which Papyrus nodded.

 

The sight of them eating together in one table, both human and monster, talking and exchanging stories, gossips, and info fills your heart with warmth. The scene in front of you reminds you of the time you and your family would go here whenever you guys felt like it, and it always ended in a good time.

 

You eat then talk, you and Josh just talking about what happened today and last night, Sans and Papyrus commenting about the food and wanting to try it at home if ever the taller skeleton is successful about gaining the recipe. Then you noticed from the corner of your eye, you see Trey and another woman, hand linked together. The two of them being lead by the same usherette to a table they must’ve booked.

 

You felt your stomach twist and your chest ache, the gut feeling you had earlier became true, but you weren’t sure what it was about until you saw your boyfriend with another woman.

 

Bile was starting to pool in your mouth, the appetite you had earlier came to a halt, you tried to even out your breathing. But you considerably fail when you see the couple sit on opposite sides, both of them too entranced by each other that Trey was too occupied to look around his surroundings, failing to notice you were in the background. Then you buckled, you hold your hand against your chest, clawing at your t-shirt, nails sinking into your palm. Breathing became harder for you, your chest felt like it was being crushed by a metal hand, you felt your whole body boil in anger. The kind of anger you don’t want people to see, the kind of anger that would end up hurting other people physically and emotionally, The kind of anger that you extremely despise.

 

But _it’s_ _there_ , and you _hated every single thing about your anger._

 

You watched Trey and the other woman talk and laugh,  _ you watched them hold hands _ on top of the cloth covered table, and then you saw them _ leaned forward towards each other and kiss.  _ You didn’t notice that Sans and the others have been quiet for some time now, observing you with their eyes, each of their faces full of concern and bewilderment at your sudden change of mood. You can feel them calling out to you and asking you, but all you could hear was white noise and the blood rushing to your head.

 

Then Josh followed your line of sight, he face full of hate and complete shock. “Oh, no.” is all you could hear.

 

And that’s when you completely snapped, you accidentally hit the table too hard with your legs, but you didn’t care, your sole focus was going up to you boyfriend and giving him a piece of your mind. You stood beside their table, hands beside you but curled into fists, your nails digging even deeper into your palm.

 

“(y/n)?!” Trey stutters your name when he sees you standing in front of them, you see him immediately yanking his hand away from the woman’s hold. “W-what are you do-doing here?” he asked you nervously, he stood up to give you a hug, but you slapped his arms away from you.

 

“Babe? Who’s she?”  _ his date _ asked him, looking at you like you crashed their romantic dinner night. You catch him whisper, probably telling her that his girlfriend,  _ you are  _ **_the_ ** _ girlfriend.  _ And she gives you this pitiful look before acting surprised. But you weren’t sure anymore, it’s best to accept that you’re now his ex-girlfriend. You clenched your teeth together, feeling the ache of two sets of teeth clashing against each other with the strength you were exerting. You inhaled a ragged breath through your mouth and closed your eyes, you immediately open them to harshly pull your arm away from Trey’s hold. “DON’T TOUCH ME!” you yelled as you glared at the man, you used to describe as  _ your boyfriend _ .

 

You felt the eyes of the people, who were watching this event unfold, you try to relax but your body gives you away, because everything about this situation is  _ hurting  _ you in ways that you’re all too familiar with. “...how long?” you quietly asked.

 

“Baby, what?” your ex asked you in uncertainty to what you just said.

 

“...how long?” you asked again, your voice a little bit louder.

 

“Baby, you know I can’t hear you if you mumble like that.” he said in frustration.

 

The nerve of him to be frustrated when you’re the one hurting here, and trying so hard not to strangle a bitch and an unfaithful man.

 

You finally looked up at him “How long has this been going on?” 

 

“(y/n), I-” he cuts himself off and paused, trying to think of a reason or explanation to tell you. He looks at you again and sighs heavily. “...A year after you left for training.”

 

You felt yourself breaking inside, it hurts, it so damn hurts, that it feels like there’s something else inside you breaking. You clutch both hands closely against your chest, and your body without warning, was shaking, and you weren’t sure if you were shaking from anger or from hurt.

 

“I-I was lonely! And I really needed someone-” he tried to explain but you cut him off with a hateful glare.

 

“...How could you?” you slowly straighten yourself, hands once again balling into fists. “You know what I’ve been going through the past years and this is what you do behind my back?!” you finally yelled while you jabbed him with two fingers, causing him to slightly falter in his steps. 

 

“Please let me explain-” he tried to talk again but you cut him off again, but this time you punched the table. 

 

“Don’t.” you warned him. “Don’t give me bullshit.” you barked at him, tone covered heavily with poison.

 

You reached into your shirt from the neckline, and pulled out the necklace with the ring Trey gave you. “Remember this ring?” you sneered at him and painfully pulled on it, breaking the chain. “Full of empty promises.” you threw the ring at him and hurriedly walk to the stairs.

 

Not even bothering looking back to where Sans and the others are, not even stopping to their calls, and not even caring who you bump into as you descended down the stairs and rush out of the restaurant.

 

You just kept walking, and walking, and walking till you stop to regain your breathing. Your chest was in pain, so is your heart, you lean against the wall of a building as you try to calm yourself down. But you couldn’t, you try to count from one to ten to control your anger, yes that might be the problem, your anger is making it hard for you to breath and relax your chest pains.

 

Taking deep breaths and looked up at the sky, it was already dark and both moon and stars are twinkling their light up above the dark canvass. Now this calmed you, but this time, instead of anger. You felt a wave of sadness, accompanied by a dull throbbing on the hand you used to punch the table earlier.

 

You sighed, it was just the second day of your return and life has a way to make things shittier for you.

 

The next thing you know, you were up again on your feet and walking towards the park where the fountain from your childhood is at. As you slowly near the place, you heard the distinctive sound of water softly splashing from a distance, you took a left, then another left, and finally turning right. In the middle of the trees was a fountain, the spot that’s always been overlooked at by people who go to the park to relax, play, or enjoy nature.

 

And this has always been your favourite get away spot, no one else knows this, even Josh. Walking over to the fountain and sitting on the edge, you noticed how clear the water still is even after you left. The people in charge of cleaning the park must be cleaning the fountain with care, knowing that people still visit it despite the fountain being some kind of hidden area.

 

You stare at the water, deep in thought, you regret what happened tonight. It was supposed to be a happy dinner between family and friends, but what did you do? You ruined it by making a scene about your shaky relationship with Trey.

 

Audibly sighing and slapping at the water in front of you that showed your reflection, you felt tears rolling of your face and drop into the fountain’s water, you didn’t cry earlier so why are you crying now? That’s when you lost it, you hugged yourself by the arms before wailing like a kid. You bit your lower lip and stomped your leg on the ground, throwing a tantrum at how stupid and how vulnerable you can be. Crying even more, you cursed at yourself for being always emotionally weak, taking yourself for granted for the expense of others, always trying your best to be above everything that’s drowning you. 

 

And lastly, you cried for yourself… for beating yourself around like this till you couldn’t take it anymore…

 

You just sit there, hugging yourself, already a bit spent from crying your eyes out. You look up at the moon and just gaze at it till you felt you were alright. You sigh audibly again but this time it was heavier.

 

_ How the fuck am I gonna apologize to Sans and the others?  _ You thought to yourself. 

 

Finally stretching your cramped legs and leaning against your hands, still gazing up at the moon. You envy it, you envy the calm it has on a night like this, you envy the stars that kept on glimmering away up in the night sky without knowing what is actually happening right now. But at the same time, you’re glad....glad to be alive.

 

“(y/n)?” a pleasant deep voice calls out your name, you down at the pathway you’ve taken going to the fountain, and sure enough, you find Sans slowly walking up you.

 

“Hey.” you croaked, voice sore from all the crying.

 

“Hey.” he replied back with a deeper but softer voice.

 

The skeleton finally reached you and is now standing in front of you, he looked down at you from his height before kneeling. “How are you?” he asked after taking some time examining your face.

 

Shrugging your shoulders “aside from feeling shitty right now?” you half joked about your situation.

 

“Josh, Keith, and Paps were looking for you.” he gave you a concerned look “ _ I  _ was looking for  _ you. _ ” he stressed the pronouns in his sentence. “We didn’t know where you went… You really had us worried when you just continued to walk out of the restaurant without even stopping when we called out to you.” he explained in a worried tone.

 

You glance down at your sneakers, “...I’m sorry.” you apologized like a kid would apologize after being severely reprimanded for running away. “I… I really didn’t mean to cause a scene there.” 

 

“I know…” he simply said, but there was an understanding in his voice when he said that. “I mean, even I would leave right after that.” he joked and gave out a breathy laugh.

 

“Why don’t we take a seat at that bench? Yeah?” he said, standing up to dust his dirt covered knee before nodding his skull over at the bench that leaned against an oak tree while it faced the fountain, he held out his bony hand to you.

 

You hesitantly reached out, but you took his hand anyway. You let Sans pull you up to your feet with ease, you also allowed him to pull you along to the bench with the same hand. And when you two reached the bench, you both sat down after Sans had released your hand from his. Silence just embraced the two of you, seeing Sans look up at the moon, you noticed how the light reflected and shone on his figure. 

 

He was almost...ethereal  _ and _ beautiful to look at.

Flushing at that, you look away and decide to stare of your hand, you must’ve punched the edge of the table earlier, seeing that the skin on your knuckles were slightly peeled off. Dry blood had already covered up the shallow wound, but when you flexed your hand, pain shot along from the knuckles up to the arm. 

 

You silently hissed in pain.

 

A skeletal hand appeared in your line of sight, slowly, Sans took your injured hand into his hands. Not looking up at you, he carefully inspected the wound, gently moving it from side to side “You really punched that table, huh?” he stated, a tone of sadness in his voice.

 

“I heard from the kid.” he said, still not looking at you “That when you get angry, you get  _ this _ angry.” 

 

Rubbing his thumb on the back of your hand, you just kept quiet but inside, you can feel your heart quickened. Slightly dreading where this conversation is going, but then you hear him sigh heavily.

 

“Ya’know…” Sans started but halted, as if trying to think of words to add to that sentence “...I really don’t get you, humans.” 

 

You softly snorted at that. “We don’t understand ourselves either.”

 

“Now, whaddya mean by that?” he finally looked at you, amusement in his eyes but his face, even though with a grin on it, it was full of sorrow.

 

“I mean…” you shrugged “Look at us, we live day by day trying to figure out everything  _ set out _ for us.” you continued, playing around with Sans’s bony fingers by squeezing each distal,middle, and proximal. “Us, humans, can’t really understand the depth of our emotions. We have words and terms for it, even solutions on how to deal with it! ...But in the end, we don’t completely get them. Logically, that is.”

 

You sigh heavily, surprisingly, Sans is letting you play with his hands.

 

“We  _ feel _ them, bottle them up, letting it out.” you studied the skeleton’s face. He was calm, side leaning against the support of the bench and legs crossed, looking intensely at you while listening to you. “We keep them in check, despite all that, it just… just comes to you in waves, depending on the situations...” you let out a shuddered breath “We can’t completely lock them away, the emotions, the feelings, _ thinking _ that’s the best choice for us to walk forward without getting hurt…” you feel like crying but tears won’t come after you’ve spent them earlier in your crying session by the fountain. “And eventually? You  _ do _ get hurt, whether you like it or not. Why? Because we’re only good at  _ hiding _ it, not completely locking it away or banishing ourselves with the emotional thought processes.”

You felt Sans give you a gentle squeeze on the hand, you exhaled softly through your nose.

 

“Sometimes, I like to imagine that I’m strong enough to go through every. Single. Day…” you scoffed to yourself “But then, the next thing I know, I  _ have _ to be strong. Not just strong enough for  _ myself _ , but also strong enough for the  _ people around me.  _ Not because they want me to be strong, it’s because  _ they need me. _ ” 

 

The two of you were quiet, both unsure what to say next or to each other, Sans in particular. Was even more quiet than you after listening to what you’ve been saying the whole time. 

 

“I don’t want to sound like a ‘know-it-all’ but-” he gave your hand another squeeze “I understand what ya trying to say, princess. Even us, monsters, can’t completely understand them, those emotions and feelings. Every single one of us, both monster and humans, heck even everything that’s living or made, have them.”

 

“It’s alright…” you sighed. “I’m just-I-” sighing once again. “I’m just tired...I try to give up. But I can’t, because...because I have to keep moving forward.”

 

“I know, (y/n)...” Sans cooed, “I know.” he gently pulled your hand towards him, holding it with one hand while the other hand tenderly covered the wounds on your knuckles. “I’m not...exactly a pro in healing magic. But this? This’ll at least heal your wound, can’t guarantee that it’ll not  _ not  _ leave any scars behind.” he said and then you felt his magic, it was a soft prickling sensation, your brows furrowed when you felt slight pain. you couldn't see it entirely but you saw that that was a thin layer of deep blue light coating both your hand and his.

 

The skeleton released your hand, revealing to you a healed knuckles but like he said, there was still scars on them. Hey, you’re not really complaining, at least it’s healed.

 

You flex it again, the movement was alright but the pain is subtle enough for you move it around.

 

“Thanks, Sans.” you look at him with a sheepish smile.

 

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.” he winked

 

“Speaking of magic…” you thoughtfully try to piece your words, “What  _ was _ that earlier?”

 

“Earlier?” he asked his face in confusion, but his eyes shows that he knows what you’re talking about.

 

“You know, the couch? We fell asleep?” you pushed.

 

“Dunno what you’re talkin’ bout.” he laughed and stood up, stretching himself before grinning at you. “How ‘bout we go to Grillby’s, eh?”

 

“Aw, come on!” you jokingly whined “Don’t change the subject!”

 

“Still dunno what you’re talkin’ bout.” he insisted with a laugh.

 

You stood up after him, you went to gather your things, but then you realized you had left them at the restaurant. “Oh, no.” you muttered to yourself, your shoulder bag had your essentials, your wallet with important cards in it, your apartment keys, your phone, even your favourite jacket. You screamed internally at your stupidity. “W-wait!” you called out to Sans who was already walking ahead of you. “I need to go back to the restaurant!”

 

He gave you a confused look. “You’re going back to the scene of your crime?” he joked

 

“I left my bag and jacket!” you ran up to him.

 

Giving you another look of confusion. “If it’s about your stuff, I had it with me.”

 

Furrowing your brows at him, and giving him a doubtful look. “Then...where is it?”

 

“Why’d ya think we’re going to Grillby’s, princess?” he laughed and gave you an arrogant look. “I left it there while I went out searching for you.”

 

Chest feeling warm and fuzzy, you couldn’t help but feel...grateful and at the same time, delighted with Sans looking out for you like this. It just feels so  _ natural _ for you guys to be together like this. “I owe you a lot.” you sighed “How do I repay you?”

 

He blinked and looked at you like you’ve grown an extra head, then he barked with laughter before pointing a thumb at the slightly visible sign that says Grillby’s “You can repay me by drinking with me at the pub.” 

 

he started walking again, and you closely followed up beside him and linked your arm around his. It might seem too affectionate, but right now, you don’t mind. “Thanks for being with me right now...” you mumbled.

 

You hear him cough, but the two of you don’t stop walking “What are friends for?” he finally said after a few minutes of contemplating.

 

Tilting your head back to laugh, you pull Sans by the arm and pointed at Grillby’s with your free hand “TIME TO DRINK THE NIGHT AWAY!” you gleefully screamed in the middle of the empty park, the two of you laughing.

 

Today’s events fills you with heartache and warmth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you've reached the end of chapter 2! I was originally gonna add San's POV but decided against it. but chapter 3 will be in Sans' POV.
> 
> also my updates will depend how fast I can finish a chapter so.
> 
> More chapters to come!   
> Don't give up just yet!   
> Reader(s)! Stay determined!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans realizes something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! chapter 3 is here now! I've been on a roll lately. I'd also like to clarify something here.
> 
> \- Sans in this fic isn't on his original height, so whatever reader's height is, he's slightly taller than you.  
> \- Sans is a professor at Josh's uni, he teaches undergrads and grad students there. still has a hotdog stand on the weekends

**_A human soul in emerald, the color of kind souls, floats in front of Sans, he hesitantly reaches out to it-_ **

 

**_Gunfire, explosions, bodies on the ground, buildings looking like ruins, humans screaming and crying._ **

 

**_A car crash, an ambulance, an older man and woman dead inside the car._ **

 

**_You hiding in fear._ **

 

**_You crying in pain._ **

 

**_You screaming in disbelief_ **

 

**_“(y/n)?----_ **

 

Sans woke up drenched in cold sweat, his breathing ragged and heavy, he couldn’t believe what he just went through. _Your_ _soul was calling out to him,_ and showed him parts of your memories which was an impossible thing to do without a soulbond happening. 

 

But he could feel it, your pain, your regrets, your fear, and your doubts. Is it because you’re his soulmate? Is it because you’re in the same house as him? Is the destined bond between soulmates stronger than he thought? 

 

He sat up, moved to the edge of his bed and walked up to his closet for a change of tshirt. Funny enough, being a skeleton monster without any visible skin or guts, he’s still capable of sweating. 

 

_ Irony and magic, I guess.  _ He thought to himself.

 

Oddly enough, now that he’s half-awake, he has a feeling that he should check up on you. Taking his phone from the bedside stand, he slowly but surely opened the door to his bedroom, making sure it wasn’t too loud to wake either his brother or you. He shuffles himself out into the quiet second-floor hallway, steadily walking down the stairs while his hands is on his face to rub away the remaining sleep, he then yawns into them.

 

But clearly, the sleep won’t go away that easily, going directly to the kitchen to get a glass of water, he goes through the cabinet where the glasses are and opens the faucet to get his water. Just standing in front of the sink, Sans mulls over the fact that he’s seen parts of your memories, but in honesty? It was more like flashbacks to him. 

 

Halfway through the kitchen’s door frame and drinking his glass of water, he notices something in his peripheral vision, so when he saw you up and about, he accidentally choked on his water.

 

“Don’t go scaring the bones-” he inhaled painfully, cause him to cut his sentence off  “-like that, princess.” 

 

“Oooohh, _ boo-nes _ .” you say as you wiggle your body and flail you hands around, evidently mocking him with a pun.

 

Even though he was still felt like choking, Sans manage to let out a chuckle combined with a  cough. “Morning.” you jokingly greet him.

 

_ So early in the morning and you do this?  _ He thought to himself.

 

“Mornin’.” Sans replied while walking over to you, so he could sit down on the couch “How long were you awake?” he asked, raising his bony eyebrow at you.

 

“Not too long ago? I guess...minutes when you came down.” he sees you shrug your shoulder in uncertainty. 

 

He hummed at your answer and took another sip of his glass of water. “It’s still pretty early.” saying that, he fished out his phone from the pocket of his shorts and checked the time on his monster phone’s screen  “It’s five in the morning.” 

 

“I’m used to it.” you replied nonchalantly while staring down at your feet, whatever you were doing, Sans assumed you would rather be more focused on your feet than explain why.

 

Sans hummed again, thoughtfully this time “Sleep more then.” he simply said while ruffling your hair before setting down the empty glass besides your boots that he took off last night when you were sleeping. 

 

“I...I don’t think I can.” you answered coldy, sad even. 

 

Sans felt guilty when you said that, scratching the back of his skull “I should have placed you on the bed instead…” he mumbled to himself, not sure if you heard him but when he looked up at you, you were already looking at him in confusion.

 

_ Glad she didn’t hear me say that.  _ He thought, grateful for once that his mumbling came in handy. 

 

“Don’t be alarmed but…” he paused “I-I don’t know if this’ll help ya and  _ I know _ ...this is weird considering we’ve just met last night...” holding out his hand, waiting for you to take it. “Why don’t you...try sleeping in my arms?” he awkwardly said, maybe a soothing magic would help you fall back asleep again-

 

But when your face contorted into mixed emotions, it was clear on your face that your weren’t sure on how to tackle this idea he suggested to you, slowly panic and embarrassment was welling up inside him, why’d he have to suggest something that intimate?

 

_ Just dust me right now.  _ He internally screamed at his mistake.

 

“Uhm...sure?” you finally responded after some minutes of silence, sighing inwardly for relief, he guessed that it didn’t come out as creepy as he thought it would. So when he felt the weight of your hand on his, he started to pull you along with him as he slowly laid down his back against the arm of the couch. But then you were awkwardly lying on top of him. “Alright, Hold on.” he said, you got off him, so he adjusted into a better position on the couch. “C’mere...”

 

There he was, finally lying down properly, so when he sat up and took your hand and pull you towards him just like earlier, the two of you had settled cozily on the couch. You were completely snug, your head on the crook of his neck and an arm just underneath his mandible. It was an unusual moment, normally Sans wouldn’t feel this...relaxed, happy even, being in the underground for years made him dread the fact of a reset or even a timeline shift. But now that he, his brother, and other monsters are now living on the surface for quite almost a decade now, and that’s thanks to Frisk...all he could feel was grateful for the fact that he got to meet his destined soulmate. 

 

Which he thought he would never have in the first place.

 

Breaking away from his thoughts, “Comfy?” he asked despite knowing that you are.

 

“Mhmm.” you replied, feeling you nod and moving closer. 

 

“That’s good…” softly saying that while hugging you closer to him.

 

Sans couldn’t take it anymore, he could turn to dust just like this, everything you were doing was just too much for him, and being his soulmate made it even more intense.  _ Focus, you idiot.  _  He scolded himself, he began regulating his breathing so he could start on the soothing magic, steadily working his way, he enveloped the two of you, creating some kind of sound barrier where you can just hear his soul beating in a calm rhythm.

 

He stroked your head while rubbing circles on your back, his hands laced with magic running at the tips of his phalanges and it paid off when he heard you yawn, and to be honest? This magic he’s doing was also making him sleepy. “Sshhh…” he cooed at you, it felt like you were fighting this at first, so when he started to hum the tune from the statue in waterfalls, you yawned again and drifted to sleep.

 

He continued to hum, but this time his mind was elsewhere, he went back to his dream where pieces of your memories flooded in. It felt like he was shown something too personal and private without the owner’s permission, it was somewhat like he was...invading your privacy. 

 

And he didn’t like that one bit despite the fact that it was your soul calling out to him. He sighed in defeat, you must’ve done that unconsciously to the point where a soulbond was unnecessary, and this slightly alarmed him.

 

Without skipping a beat, Sans fell asleep with you in his arms.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sans lazily woke up when he heard noises, he moved his hand down to his chest to check if you were still sleeping, but he found it empty, he slowly sat up to find you and Papyrus talking. “Hey, Paps.” he yawned and rubbed his face with one hand, trying to rub away the persistent drowsiness. “Where've you been?” he asked, finally managed to make himself fully awake..

 

“GOOD MORNING TO YOU TOO BROTHER!” his brother replied in his booming voice. “I, THE GREAT AND ENERGETIC PAPYRUS, WENT OUT TO DO SOME GROCERY SHOPPING ALONGSIDE FRISK AND THE QUEEN! I WILL GO MAKE LUNCH NOW!” he said before turning his attention towards you again “I TAKE IT THAT YOU WILL EAT LUNCH WITH US?” he innocently asked you.

 

“You won’t mind?” you asked in hesitancy “I mean, I’ve already claimed the couch and I don’t want to overstay my welcome here.”

 

“NONSENSE! YOU ARE A GUEST HERE AND IT IS BETTER WITH WHAT YOU HUMANS SAY ‘THE MORE, THE MERRIER!’” Papyrus replied joyously in his reverberating voice before leaving for the kitchen to cook.

 

“‘S alright, (y/n).” Sans reassured you, showing his signature smile “Paps likes it when we have guests over.”he says after Papyrus left for the kitchen. Then he hears you giggle, and he looks at you in confusion.

 

“You sure love your brother, huh?” you commented, a sentence familiar to him.

 

“Heh, using my own words against me huh?” he smirked then looked around for the tv remote “He’s pretty cool, I’m grateful for him.” he added, he really is grateful for his brother, if Paps wasn’t there for him, Sans wouldn’t know what to do. And when he made the remote fly towards his hand, you gasped in surprise. “Sorry, it’s a habit.” he apologized to you while turning on the television.

 

“That was really awesome!” you childishly commented.

 

“You’re exaggerating.” Sans scoffed at you, going through some channels before opening netflix. 

 

“No, really! That was insanely cool!” you commented further.

 

“Pssh, stop it.” he laughed, feeling shy about your reactions “’S just magic.” he simply said, trying to dismiss this conversation with a shrug.

 

He listens to you laughing your ass off before settling into the couch. “So about dinner…” you started, he nodded, not knowing if you saw him do that “I know a place, and it’s my  _ favourite _ place to eat in, and Josh and his boyfriend will be coming…” he hears you pause in your sentence.

 

“If you’re wondering if I mind the company of additional people-” giving you a sideways glance “...I really don’t mind.” Sans finished his sentence with a wink before going back to the tv.

 

“Great! Bring Papyrus along!” you grinned at him, and as if on cue, the taller skeleton appeared halfway through the kitchen door frame “HAVE YOU CALLED FOR ME, HUMAN?”

 

“Oh? What? Oh no, it’s nothing!” you meekly replied

 

“IF IT IS NOTHING…” Papyrus paused before smiling back at you “THEN IT IS TIME FOR LUNCH! I HAVE PREPARED MY BEST DISHES FOR SANS’ GUEST!” he watched Papyrus walking up to you, then placed his red-gloved hands under your armpits before carrying you away like a cat towards the kitchen, you yelped and look at Sans for help, but all he could only do was laugh at you helplessly.

 

Following them to the kitchen, Sans observes Papyrus gently placing you down on a chair opposite to his chair. The shorter skeleton could see that Paps was in a good mood, making two different styles of eggs and toasted bread, the usual spaghetti and even adding a new pasta to the table, carbonara. Ever since they got to the surface, knowing his brother being the most 

extroverted skeleton he knows, Paps had set off to learn more pasta dishes aside from improving his spaghetti. 

 

And it paid off, and Sans is proud for his little brother and he couldn’t ask for more.

 

“I just-wow, I’m so amazed.” you say, looking up at Papyrus.

 

“NYEH HEH! YOUR AWESTRUCK EXPRESSION AND WORDS SPEAKS VOLUMES, HUMAN!” the taller skeleton proudly said and posed joyfully, Sans proudly scoffed to himself when he sees the two of you conversing like this. 

 

“Are you sure, it’s fine for me to eat lunch with you guys?” you asked once again, not sure once again.

 

“‘S like I told you, (y/n).” Sans assured you  _ again _ and took a seat in front of you “It’s fine for you to be here.” he said, tone still a bit sleepy. “‘Sides I still need to take you back home.”

 

He sees you place your hand on your chest, and at that moment, he also felt it. The tingling sensation, Sans breath softly, trying to calm himself and his magic down.

 

“NOW THEN! HELP YOURSELF TO SOME FOOD, HUMAN!” Papyrus urged you as he took a seat at the head of the table.

 

The shorter skeleton took the plate of toasted bread while you took the plate of eggs, after taking his share, Sans waited for you to take your share before you two exchanged the plates in perfect harmony. He watched Papyrus enjoying his plate of spaghetti, leaving the carbonara untouched, he watched you placed the plate with the leftover toasted bread in front of Papyrus. 

 

Papyrus nodded thankfully at your direction, took the bread and ate it.

 

“Mmm!?” you accidentally moaned in surprise, Sans flinched, he didn’t expect you to let out that kind of sound. And let’s be honest here, it made his spine shiver, and that got him slightly worked up.

 

“WOW, What is this?!” you asked papyrus with a genuine surprised look on your face. “It tastes incredible!”

 

Papyrus gave you another proud look with his hand on his chest, posing elegantly at the table “THAT, MY FRIEND, IS MONSTER FOOD!” he proudly claimed “ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT!” he said and pushed the carbonara to you.

 

Sans accidentally choked on his bread, he wasn’t able to calm himself down in time when you looked over at his direction, using magic to do his bidding, a glass of water gravitated towards him before he drank it all down  “Sorry ‘bout that, choked on a bread.” he chuckled.

 

“No worries but how-” you paused “how is this incredibly good?” you were able to ask after taking a forkful of the carbonara, happily chewing on it.

 

He laughed at the sight of you stuffing food into your mouth before starting to explain “Just like the Monster drinks we had at Grillby’s, the food you’re eating right now have magic in them.” he explained. “Monster food have more enhanced flavors because of the magic in them, though it’s best if humans don’t consume it every single day for every meal.”

 

“Why’s that?” you asked after taking another mouthful of eggs on your toast. 

“You guys may have completely forgotten about magic, but it’s still present in your body, what monster food does is fuel that magic that’s within our bodies” he paused to eat for a bit “And not only that, it also heals you physically.” he explained further, pointing his bitten bread at you.

 

“Then why is it a bad thing for us, humans, consuming it everyday in every single meal?” you asked again, he could undeniably see the curiosity in your eyes.

 

“Like I said, there’s still magic inside of you guys, but if you let yourself feed on monster food almost every single day, it’ll cause your body to react negatively” he looked at you. “Do you know why?”

 

You shake your head slowly.

 

“Dormant magic in the individual’s body tend to go out of control, too much magic inside a body who hasn’t practiced magic in years will cause a balance shift with your soul and physical body. It’ll cause fevers, hallucinations, uncontrollable sex drive, and even death.” he says in a serious tone. But then awkwardly realizing what he’s trying to say, Sans felt his face flush at the thought of having to explain to you about soulbonding or the sexual release of magic from one individual to another. “There are ways for magic to be released if too much has been bottled up. But, uh, I’ll save that for future explaining.”

 

“AND THAT IS WHY HUMANS SHOULDN’T RELY TOO MUCH ON MONSTER FOOD! YOU HUMANS HAVEN’T DONE ANY MAGIC EVER SINCE WE, MONSTERS, GOT LOCKED UP IN THE UNDERGROUND.” Papyrus chimed in. “AND DESPITE THE ENHANCED TASTE IN THEM, MONSTER FOOD HAVE LITTLE TO ZERO NUTRIENTS THAT HUMANS NEED TO LIVE DAY TO DAY!”  he finished and went back to eating his spaghetti, Sans declined the place of carbonara so you passed it over to Papyrus to which his brother gratefully accepts.

 

“...Are you guys able to eat human food though?” you asked with a puzzled look.

 

“WELL, WE CERTAINLY CAN.” Papyrus answered. “BUT IT MAKES US SICK-”

 

“We have to take some kind of medicine.” Sans cut in, it was these monster pills that Alphys made the first year of being in the surface came in handy, it allowed monsters who solely depends on monster food for magic, to give a boost in their system to break down human food completely.

 

“Oh? Why?” you asked again.

 

“You’re a curious one aren’t ya, (y/n)?” Sans let out a deep laugh, amused by your genuine curiosity. “Some monsters are able to take in human food like its their second nature. But some monsters, like me and Paps here, can’t break down the foods as naturally as you guys. The lack of magic in them and purely nutrient filled causes us to be sick.” 

 

“Huh…” you paused before looking up at the two with guilt “Will you guys be alright for the dinner later?”

 

“Don’t worry about us.” Sans reassured you with a wave of a bony hand. He mentally noted to himself not to forget the pills alphys gave him.

 

“DINNER?” Sans grinned at Papyrus looking at you before looking at him  “ARE WE GOING TO HAVE DINNER TOGETHER LATER THIS EVENING?!” He asks excitingly.

 

You laughed and confirmed to Papyrus with a nod, today’s brunch was wonderful and Sans enjoyed every single moment about it.

 

“We better hurry and get you home, princess.” Sans called out “You still need to doll yourself up, right?” he winked at you as he got up from his seat to go back to the living room to wait for you, looking around, he found his blue jacket behind the couch.

 

_ Pretty sure I left it hanging on the couch, _ he thought and looked at the direction of the kitchen, and shrugged,  _ No use thinking hard about this. _ And pulled his jacket on.

 

“Thanks for the delicious brunch, Papyrus!” he hears you thanking his brother.

 

“NYEH HEH! YOU’RE MOST WELCOME, HUMAN!” Papyrus responded back.

 

The moment he saw you coming out of the kitchen, he observed you, more interested in what you were doing. Putting on your shoes, after that, You stood up to meet Sans’s gaze. He grinned, you were just by his shoulder and it was adorable how he could look down on you like this, he carelessly huffed through his nasal cavity.  

 

“Ready?” he asks, holding out his hand. “We’re gonna take a shortcut.” winking at you.

 

“A shortcut?” you asked while gingerly placing your hand on top of his, he closed his phalanges around your hand and held tight, but not tight enough to hurt you.

 

He nodded “Just tell me the name of a place, better yet, the specific address of the place you want to me to take you.”

 

“Oh, uhm, wait” you said and fished out your phone from your pocket with your free hand, you showed him the address of the foster care house. “There, that place, I still need to get my things from there.”

 

He hummed while pulling your closer to him “Close your eyes.” he whispered sensuously and not meaning to.

 

So when he heard you gasp, bent down his head for a bit to check if you had closed your eyes like he instructed, and when he saw that it is, he disappeared.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

After dropping you off the foster care house, Sans was already back at his house after using another shortcut to directly teleport him in his room, who knew that you and Bertha were actually close friends. You explained that she took care of you and Josh were young, but it doesn’t explain why your relationship with each other is linked to a foster care house. 

 

He shrugged it off  _ another question for another time, I guess. _ He thought,as he laid on his bed mulling over stuff. There was also the dinner for later, the skeleton wasn’t sure if this restaurant was monster friendly, even if it is, will it have monster food?

 

“SANS!” his brother yelled from the other side of his door “I TAKE IT THAT YOU’VE ALREADY CHOSEN SOMETHING TO WEAR?!” opening the door abruptly, Papyrus stormed into his messy room.

 

“I’m fine with just wearing the usual, Paps.” he simply replied and waved a bony hand at him without even getting up from his bed.

 

“STOP BEING SUCH A BAG OF LAZYBONES.” he countered “YOU SHOULD AT LEAST DRESS UP PROPERLY IF YOU WERE TO IMPRESS (Y/N)!”

 

That’s when Sans finally sat up and gave his brother a confused look “I-I don’t get what you’re saying, Paps.” beads of sweat forming on his skull

 

“OH SANS.” Papyrus said in a dramatic voice “IT’S QUITE OBVIOUS THAT YOU’RE SKULL OVER HEELS ABOUT HER. IN ORDER FOR (Y/N) TO FALL FOR YOU...WHY NOT WEAR THE CLOTHES WE GOT LAST WEEK? WE DID GO SHOPPING, REMEMBER?”

 

“She may be my soulmate, but it’s not guaranteed that she’ll become my partner for life.” he said in slight frustration.

 

“SHE IS YOUR WHAT?” Papyrus asked, dumbfounded by what Sans just casually said out loud. “BROTHER, WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

 

“She may be my so-” the short skeleton realized what he just said and turned into a shade of deep blue.

 

“SANS!” the taller skeleton yelled in glee and grabbed his brother by the shoulders “THIS IS WONDERFUL! I HAD GUESSED THAT YOU LIKED HER BUT I HAD NOT GUESSED THAT SHE WAS ACTUALLY YOUR DESTINED SOULMATE!” 

 

“H-heh, yeah.” he stammered in embarrassment. But Sans grew silent, having a destined soulmate doesn’t immediately imply that they’re gonna end up together. Some end up as twin souls, or best friends, or to never meeting again. 

 

And this scared him, how will you react to having a monster as a soulmate? Will you accept him? Will you turn him down? Or worse, never see him again?

 

“SANS…” his brother called out softly “I KNOW THIS SCARES YOU BROTHER, BUT WE DON’T KNOW HOW THIS WILL TURN OUT WITH YOU AND THE HUMAN IF NEITHER OF YOU DON’T ACT UPON IT. THE SOULS WILL KEEP CALLING OUT TO EACH OTHER…” Papyrus consoled his brother by squeezing his shoulder while telling him that.

 

Sans could only look at his hands, what his brother said was true, no matter how many times he denies or takes his time, the future is unpredictable. 

 

“I’VE KNOWN YOU FOR A LONG TIME SANS...BUT THERE ARE THINGS THAT I DON’T COMPLETELY KNOW ABOUT AND I AM IGNORANT TO IT, BUT THERE IS ONE THING I KNOW FOR SURE” Papyrus paused.

 

The other was silent for awhile and this made Sans wonder, so when the older brother looked into Papyrus’s face. It was a face that gave him the feeling like he was gonna give the shorter skeleton his blessing.

 

“YOU DESERVE HAPPINESS, SANS.” Papyrus finally said before letting him go and walking up to his closet. “NOW! TIME TO GET YOU DRESSED!” 

 

“Heh, thanks Paps.” he muttered and followed his brother. 

 

After picking out some clothes, Sans and Papyrus just went with casual clothing, ever since being introduced to fashion in the surface, the younger brother had upped his fashion sense. To which Sans is again grateful to him for helping him out for this, but then he would’ve preferred the comfort of his usual clothes though. 

 

Surprisingly, the resto you picked was one that is easy to find, when you explained that it was near your apartment, he and Papyrus could just take a shortcut going there, but knowing his younger brother, the taller skeleton would rather drive his car than take a shortcut/

 

But just to be sure, Sans picked up his phone from the bed and scrolled through his contacts and found your name, it was a good thing the two of you exchanged numbers.

**Sans:**

Where do we meet up?

 

**(y/n):**

You guys can wait for me with Josh and Keith at the resto.

The two are already there claiming the reserved spot for us.

 

**Sans:**

Oh.

Thought this was just casual dinner?

 

Sans panicked when he read the word ‘reserved’, did that mean that the restaurant you guys were going to was a formal one? But then he sighed in relief when he read your reply.

 

**(y/n):**

It IS.

The resto we’re eating at gets busy quickly, so sometimes having a reservation helps than waiting for an available table.

 

**Sans:**

Point taken.

I’ll see you there?

 

_ Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.  _ He panicked again and immediately try to cover up how desperate that text sounded 

 

I mean, we’ll see you there.

yeah , me and paps will.

Even Josh and Keith.

Sans waited anxiously for a reply,  _ this is it, i scared her away for reals now.  _ Thinking that when suddenly you replied.

 

**(y/n):**

Sure thing, I’ll see you guys there.

 

“COME ON SANS! WE’LL BE LATE!” Papyrus yelled from the garage. Shrugging his shoulders, Sans teleported into the passenger’s seat of his brother’s red ferrari 488 spider. “READY?”

 

“Yup.” he drawled with a huge grin, the car let out a low growl before speeding down the road.

 

An hour had passed by and that’s where Sans found a long line waiting outside the restaurant when they passed by it, and just in time, he caught a glimpse of your brother and his boyfriend talking to the usherette in front of the restaurant. By the time Papyrus had found a parking space, The two have already entered, so when the skeleton brothers walked up to the usherette and told your name. To which he guessed that’s what you used for the reservation, the two were ushered inside and upstairs where Josh and Keith were waiting by the reserved table.

 

“Hey, kid.” Sans called out to Josh. “you two waited long?”

 

“Nah, we just got here ourselves.” he answered back cheerfully.

 

“HELLO, HUMANS!” Papyrus greeted the two excitingly.

 

“Hey, Paps” the two greeted in sync.

 

“Ya kids think it’ll take her long to get here?” Sans asked but he was shushed by Josh’s hand, the college student was already on his phone “Come on, kid, no need give me a hand.” he chuckled and clapped.

 

Josh groaned, Keith laughed.

 

“Just take a seat already.” he rolled his eyes at the skeleton

 

“I  _ seat  _ you not, of course I will, kid.” he laughed and took the middle seat opposite to the two, and Papyrus took a seat beside him. “I don’t wanna be  _ cushion _ a scene now.”

 

All three groaned.

 

Minutes had passed by, and Sans revel at his destruction after telling joke after joke, and when he noticed you coming up the stairs. You were wearing a simple graphic t-shirt, jeans with jacket wrapped around your waist, and blue converse shoes. He stared at you as you walked up to the table, he was...breathless. You weren’t wearing a dress or too much makeup, but here you are, standing in front of him wearing the simplest of clothes, that’s making him this entranced by you. And you pulled it off quite nicely, but then he noticed the scars on your arms, but he made no comment about it.

 

He was just glad to see you right now and laughed, the happy kind of laugh where it just seems crazy to others.

 

“Hey guys-” you called out and see Josh with his head on his hands, Keith contemplating with a serious face, Papyrus frozen in his seat, and Sans laughing his ass off. “...are you guys alright?”

 

“H-hey there, (y/n)” it was Sans who spoke up, containing his laughter “I think I caused a murder scene here.” he joked while pointing at the trio that were the receiving end of his jokes.

 

_ A white lie for now. _ he thought, clear with the intent that he won’t admit what he thought of you earlier. 

 

Josh groaned out loud “PLEASE MAKE HIM STOP.” he half yelled, half demanded. Keith could only sigh heavily from his seat and placed a hand on Josh’s shoulder.

 

“(Y/N)! YOU ARE HERE AT LAST!” Papyrus chimed in, seemingly to regain his boisterous self “TAKE A SEAT BESIDE SANS!” He pointed at the chair beside Sans.

 

“Sure thing.” you shrugged and took the seat beside him  “Did you guys order yet?”

 

“As you can see-” Josh waved his hand above the table “We haven’t yet.”

 

Sans could feel you looking at him but he chose to ignore it and let you and Josh talk, so when he picked up his menu and skimmed through it, the shorter skeleton is glad that the restaurant serves monster food to monster customers. He found what he liked and hold unto that thought, waiting for the others to choose as well.

 

“Everyone got their picks already?” you spoke up, he eyes Josh and Keith mumbling to each other for a bit before nodding at your direction. Him and Papyrus took one last look at the menu before looking and nodding at you.

 

“WE HAVE CHOSEN OUR PICK, HUMAN!” the taller skeleton said gleefully.

 

“Ready when you are.” Sans followed, giving you a winked.

 

“Alrighty then.” you acknowledged and raised your hand to call for a waiter to take your orders, one immediately came up to your side, it was a rabbit monster, and in their hands was a pen and notepad. You pointed out some of the dishes on the menu you’re holding, Josh and Keith said theirs, and Sans just pointed to a picture example of a TLC monster burger, while Papyrus ordered Italian monster meatballs spaghetti.

 

The waiter took each order carefully unto their notepad, once everyone gave their orders, the waiter disappeared as fast as they appeared.

 

Sans noticed you looking around, smiling to yourself, as if enjoying the sight of everyone at the table with you, he felt his chest leap and tingle when you eyes met with his, he jokingly gives you another wink. But when you scoffed and winked back at him. His mind became blank, because he wasn’t expecting that from you, he felt his cheeks heat up.

 

You laughed out loud, clearly he could tell that you enjoyed the reaction he showed. “Just remembered something.” you lied, and Sans just rolled his eyes at you. “Hey Josh?” you look at the college student, trying to change the subject “Remember that time when you accidentally ate Dad’s spicy chicken wings here?”

 

“Oh, man. Yeah, I do.” he replied with a soft laugh “fanning my mouth with my bare hands and taking everyone’s glass of water and spilling it on me was unforgettable.”

 

“You even choked on the water, and it came out of your nose” You laughed along.

 

“Heh, Just like what happened at Grillby’s last night.” Sans commented on the story you and Josh started..

 

_ Like brother, like sister _

 

“We don’t talk about that.” you said while jokingly point a finger at him.

 

“I HEARD FROM MY BROTHER THAT HE JOKED AROUND AND MADE YOU CHOKE LAST NIGHT, HUMAN!” Papyrus bellowed at your direction.

 

“Yes, your brother is to blame for that.” you giggled.

 

“Whaddya say-” he shrugs “Am good at making them choke.” he added, giving you a look and seeing you shudder also made him shudder. If you keep on reacting like this whenever he looks at you, it’ll give Sans the wrong image and thoughts.

 

“Really, Sans?” you raised an eyebrow while grinning at him “A sexual joke? Here? In a family restaurant? What a rebel.” you said, making him break away from his thoughts

 

He shrugged while chuckling to himself. “Breaking the rules is what I’m here for, princess.”

 

The waiter who took the group’s orders, came back with two full trays of the ordered food. Another waiter popped up to assist the other and they skillfully place each food item in front of him, along with the drinks. “Enjoy your food!” they both say before going back to the hustling down stairs.

“What did you order?” Josh asked and looked over to your plate

 

“Oh, the usual.” you said in a singsong voice. “Haven’t eaten this in  _ years. _ ”

 

“Yeah I could tell.” he says matter-of-fact. “Well, at least you get to eat it now!” he cheerfully said.

 

“OH I CAN’T WAIT TO DIG IN!” Papyrus childishly said. “THIS SPAGHETTI LOOKS VERY APPETIZING! I SHALL ASK THE CHEF ABOUT THIS AFTER WE ARE DONE WITH DINNER!” he remarked in awe, completely entranced by the spaghetti’s appearance.

 

“Heh, better eat it quick so you can go talk to them soon.” Sans suggested to which Papyrus nodded.

 

All of you were talking and enjoying the food, Sans couldn’t help but keep his eyes on you, watching you fill your mouth with food, teasing Josh and keith every now and then, even joining in the talk with him and Papyrus. But then he noticed how all of a sudden you just stopped talking and eating altogether, and that’s when he saw what you saw. A couple being ushered to a table in the far corner.

 

As if being tackled to the ground by Undyne, Sans steadied himself on his chair, breathing ragged and ribcage hurting, he felt the overwhelming need to puke out his food. His whole skeletal body was under the feeling of being torn apart, his magic and his soul was in disarray, he looked up at you thinking that the reason he’s feeling like this was because of an intense emotion you’re going through right now.  

And when he saw you clutching your chest with eyes fixed on the couple, Sans wished he didn’t look at you, your face was unreadable but the vibe coming off of you was frightening, deadly even. He knows what emotion this is, it’s the kind of emotion that even  _ he _ doesn’t want to exhibit. 

 

But  _ it’s there right in front of him  _ and he has every right to be  _ frightened right now. _

 

And the fact that you were so in tuned with your anger right now caused him to suffer also, and he doesn’t know if it’s because you’re his soulmate and both your souls are calling out to each other, or it’s because dormant magic is going berserk even though earlier brunch was your first taste of monster food. But there is one thing that he  _ does  _ know, if you continue to leave your emotions unstable like right now, it’ll affect your soul  _ and break you _ . And he doesn’t mean instant death, but long periods of mental torture before your body gives out.

 

**_THE THOUGHT OF LOSING YOU IS WHAT’S SCARING HIM RIGHT NOW._ **

 

“Oh, no.” he hears Josh say that, and then a loud bump had hit the table, so when Sans went back to look at you, you were up and gone. Walking over to the table where the couple is sitting at.

 

“WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, HUMAN?” Papyrus asked the college kid.

 

“It’s uh...her boyfriend…” Josh replied, also scared of what’s gonna start unfolding in the restaurant. “He’s cheating on her…” he softly said, but his voice was both in sadness and anger.

He looked over to where you were at, and Sans and the others watched this unfold, it was like a scene out of a drama and it looked comedic, but he knew better. Because what’s happening right now and that guy is hurting you. “It’s not a good sign when she’s angry.” Josh speaks up amidst the murmuring in the background, everyone was also watching. “But  _ that?” _ the college kid pointed at you “ _ That _ is the worst kind of angry you don’t wanna come across.” he explained.

 

_ Tell me about it. _ Sans commented to himself.

 

“I just…” Josh paused “I just hope this wouldn’t turn physical.” he finally said, worry visible in his tone.

 

“Your sister’s gonna hurt him?” Keith asked his boyfriend.

 

“She could  _ and _ can do that but-” Josh sighed, trying to find the right words to defend you but couldn’t “It’s actually worse, she ends up hurting herself…” 

 

“What do you mean, kid-” the skeleton’s sentence got cut off

 

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” you warned the guy while backing away from his touch

 

Sans moved his attention back to you, he continued to watch you from where he was, he watched you and the guy talking but he couldn’t hear the words you two were exchanging, he saw you hugging your hands close to your chest, then another round of words exchanged between the two of you before you jabbed him on the chest with your fingers.

 

And when the guy tried to talk, you didn’t give him a chance by punching the edge of the table.

 

_ So this is what the kid meant by physically hurting yourself. _

 

The older skeleton couldn’t do a thing, this was something he couldn’t bring himself to interfere in. this was something personal for you to figure out, and by now your soul wasn’t calling out to his like earlier during your silent fit of rage. It was calling out to his with sadness and hurt. Still eyeing you, San watches you dig inside the neckline of your shirt and pull out a necklace with a ring on it, you threw it at the guy after painfully pulling it off your neck with a snap.

 

So when he saw you turn around and walk for the stairs, he called out to you, even Josh, Keith, and Papyrus called out to you, but you didn’t listen nor did you stop in your tracks. Sans ran out to the balcony and followed you with his eyes as you run out of the restaurant, another commotion started that caused Sans to look back inside.

 

Josh had come up to the guy and punched him in the face and the guy fell backward “Scum!” he heard the college student yell while Keith and Papyrus held him back even more from beating up the guy.

 

And Sans agreed with Josh, this  _ scum _ had hurt you, betrayed you, worst of all, he doesn’t deserve you. Your brother had calmed down, Sans went to look back outside to see if you were still in sight, but you weren’t. “Come on, Kid. I lost sight of your sister.” he said in urgency to Josh and the others, and they rushed downstairs, Sans went back to the table to gather your stuff. 

 

But before he could go after them.

 

The skeleton had walked up to your ex-boyfriend. “Hey, man.” he simply called out and crouched down on the guy’s eye level “What’s ya name?” 

 

The other looked at him in confusion “uh, T-Trey.” stammering in pain while holding his broken nose.

 

“Trey, huh.” Sans hummed, looking at the ceiling before coldly eyeing him “I’m usually a chill guy, man, not a single evil bone in me. But right now, I’m trying so hard not to dunk your sorry ass head first into my magic.” he casually explained to Trey with his eyes closed.

 

“What-” 

 

“Just a piece of advice from a pretty chill skeleton…” Sans cut him off, and when he opened his eye sockets, his right eye had disappeared and his magic showed through his left eye socket where his pupils pulsed light blue and yellow. “Don’t show your face to either of us if ya don’t want to have a bad time…Especially to (y/n).” he warned and watched Trey shiver in fear and wet his pants on the floor.

 

“Well then.” Sans stood up with a look of disgust and nodded at Trey’s date “You two have a good night.” he mockingly said and rushed after Papyrus and the other two.

 

By the time he got down, Josh was walking back and forth, Keith was on his phone, and Paps was just waiting for him. “Anything yet?” he asked to them and felt a tug on his chest, Sans cradled his skull with his free hand and steadied himself when his magic suddenly surged inside him, then the sudden image of the park’s fountain flashed before him, your soul was calling for him, and you didn’t know. “SANS?” his brother asked in worry, when the taller skeleton saw him hurting.

 

“...I think I know where she is.” he replied in a shuddering breath.

 

“You do?!” Josh asked, almost yelling, the poor kid was clearly worried and couldn’t stay rational. “Where?! Where is she?! We have to go find her!”

 

“She’s not in Grillby’s, if you’re wondering, I called the place.” Keith spoke up, trying to calm down Josh.

 

“I-I dunno how to explain this, kid.” Sans said, also trying to calm the college student down “I just- look, we’ve had a night, yeah? Why don’t you guys head home and I’ll look for her, alright?” he suggested.

 

“She could be anywhere!” Josh replied, this time yelling for real.

 

“I know...just-just trust me on this” Sans sighed and gave Papyrus a look.

 

A look that his brother understood immediately , “WHY DON’T I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, TAKE YOU TWO HUMANS BACK TO YOUR HOME?” Papyrus bellowed and took his keys out.

 

“But I can’t just  _ leave _ my sister out there!” Josh retaliated.

 

“DON’T WORRY, HUMAN!” The taller skeleton assured him “IF MY BROTHER SAYS HE KNOWS WHERE (Y/N) IS! THEN GIVE HIM YOUR FULL TRUST!” he ushered them to walk in front of him, going to the direction of his car. 

 

“I won’t forgive you if anything happened to her!” Josh yelled, looking back at the shorter skeleton while walking backwards  “And I won’t go easy on you, just because you’re my professor!” he warned.

 

Sans waved at them and sighed, that surge of magic was definitely his, but he couldn’t explain the flashback aside from your soul unconsciously calling out to him without you noticing.

 

_ The bond between soulmates sure is scary strong.  _ He thought to himself  _ and we haven’t even soulbonded yet... _

 

Once they were out of view, Sans did a shortcut and appeared in Grillby’s, behind the bar area where Grillby is. “Hey Grillbz, Mind if I leave these here?” he asked while holding up your bag and jacket. “Gotta go find my girl.” he absentmindedly said as he stowed your stuff away underneath the counter.

 

“Your what now-?” the elemental asked in a confused but amused tone.

 

“My gi--” halting himself from completing that sentence on time, he coughed into his hand “I mean. (y/n). Yeah. Gotta find her.”

 

“Did something happen between the two of you-” Grillby was about to ask when-

 

“Thanks, Grillbz.” Sans cut him off and ‘shortcut’ out of the pub. Finding himself at the entrance at the park, the skeleton walked in knowing where you were as long as he has the image of the fountain engraved into his memory. Slowly he felt the numbing sensation on his chest, a sign that you were not that far from him; he walked deeper into the park, passing by his hotdog stand the he works on the weekends. 

 

Taking a left, he looks around and...he hears it.

 

Not the water that the fountain spews out, but you crying  _ and _ even screaming? Worried that you might have bumped into some bad guys in the park, Sans quickened his steps. His legs taking him to another left then to the right, he slows down when he sees you hugging yourself, even stomping your whole leg on the ground. You were unknowingly throwing a tantrum in front of him, but to him, it was understandable. Who wouldn’t get hurt after seeing that? and when you cried even more, the sight of you hurting like this left him in pain, both your soul and his calling out to each other for comfort. 

 

But then he sees you looking up at the moon, no more tears flowing down your face but a heavy sigh coming out of your mouth, Sans sighed a silent relief, he observed you from where he was. The moonlight on your figure was...calm and captivating, regardless of the crying and wailing you did earlier. And when you stretched your legs and leaning back on your arms, Sans knew you’ve finally calmed down, still hurting but at least you let it out. “(y/n)?” he called out to you, slowly walking down the path leading to the fountain, leading  _ to you. _

 

“Hey.” you croaked at him, it was clear to him that your throat was sore.

 

Sans slightly furrowed his brow in sadness “Hey.” he softly replied and finally reached you, scanning your face, he furrowed his brows even more, you were a mess and it was something he couldn’t undo. He kneeled before you, matching your eye level “How are you?”

 

“Aside from feeling shitty right now?” you half-heartedly joked about your situation.

 

“Josh, Keith, and Paps were looking for you.” he said in a tone filled with concern “ _ I  _ was looking for  _ you. _ ” he continued, stressing the pronouns in his sentence. “We didn’t know where you went… You really had us worried when you just continued to walk out of the restaurant without even stopping when we called out to you.” he worryingly explained.

 

He continued to stare at you, even if your eyes were focused on your shoes “...I’m sorry.” you apologized like a kid would apologize after being severely reprimanded for running away. “I… I really didn’t mean to cause a scene there.” 

 

“I know…” he simply said in an understanding tone “I mean, even I would leave right after that.” he joked and let out a laugh. But when you weren’t looking at him even when he joked, looking around, he spot a bench that was leaning against the oak tree. “Why don’t we take a seat at that bench? Yeah?” he said and stood up to dust his dirt covered knee before nodding his skull over at the bench, he then held out his hand to you.

 

He sees you hesitating at first, but then you took his hand. This allowed him to pull you to your feet, still hand in hand, Sans began to walk to the bench so he could pull you along with him, he then released your hand the moment you two sat down. The skeleton ached inside, already missing the feel of your hand in his, but he held himself back, because now’s not the right time. 

 

So instead, he distracted himself by looking up at the moon.

 

_ The moon tonight is beautiful...and lonely. _ He commented to himself and looked at you, the moon completely reminding him of you. Despite having the stars accompanying the moon, there was just this hint of loneliness that doesn’t seem to go away, and he meant that metaphorically about you. So when he saw you looking at your hand, you flexed it and hissed in pain.

 

Without thinking, Sans reached out for your injured hand, carefully examining it while gently twisting it side to side, it pains him to see you hurt like this “You really punched that table, huh?” he said in a tone of dysphoria “I heard from the kid.” he paused, still not looking at you “That when you get angry, you get  _ this _ angry.” he finished while rubbing his thumb on the back of your hand, and when you kept quiet, not pulling your hand away. 

 

He didn’t panic, everything that happened today, from bits and pieces of your memories from the afternoon, and the fight earlier in the restaurant with your ex-boyfriend. Everything had slowly made sense to him now, you were  _ broken, your soul has had cracks on it  _ for a long time now and the dormant magic in you was  _ trying to heal you all this time.  _ But because of what you went through for years awakened the magic in you, and unconsciously deepening the bond between the two souls. It was also the reason why your soul and his soul has been in sync for awhile now, you’ve been unconsciously calling out for a proper soulbond with him- 

 

But it didn’t make sense to him, why would humans hurt another human to the point they hurt themselves? To the point where cracks appeared on the soul that you humans possess? Why- And as your soulmate, he couldn’t fathom or even imagine it, but from what he can tell, it happened to you whether he likes it or not.

 

**_Your kindness was repaid with the cruelty and the violence of reality one after the another._ **

 

_ And here I thought humans were more united because they locked us monsters in the underground.  _ He mockingly thought to himself, not at you of course, why would he do that?

 

“Ya’know…” Sans started but halted, trying to think of words to add to that sentence “...I really don’t get you, humans.” he said after he couldn’t think of a gentler way to say it.

 

You softly snorted at his statement. “We don’t understand ourselves either.”

 

“Now, whaddya mean by that?” he asked finally looking at you, he tried to give out a cheerful tone, but after his realization about everything made it sound slightly sad.

 

“I mean…” you shrugged “Look at us, we live day by day trying to figure out everything  _ set out _ for us.” you continued, playing around with Sans’s bony fingers by squeezing each distal,middle, and proximal. “Us, humans, can’t really understand the depth of our emotions. We have words and terms for it, even solutions on how to deal with it! ...But in the end, we don’t completely get them. Logically, that is.”

 

Watching you sigh heavily, Sans let you play around with his hands, at least that could help you for a bit, by getting slightly distracted.

 

“We  _ feel _ them, bottle them up, letting it out.” you continued and he leaned against the bench’s support, calmly listening to you explain. “We keep them in check, despite all that, it just… just comes to you in waves, depending on the situations...” Sans agreed to what you’re saying, even he does that.

 

He sees you let out a shuddered breath “We can’t completely lock them away, the emotions, the feelings, _ thinking _ that’s the best choice for us to walk forward without getting hurt…” he could tell that you want to cry, but you held yourself back “And eventually? You  _ do _ get hurt, whether you like it or not. Why? Because we’re only good at  _ hiding _ it, not completely locking it away or banishing ourselves with the emotional thought processes.”

 

And it’s true, it was sad how he could completely agree to what you said, these emotions and feelings is what makes humans and monsters alive and even survive, and no one can completely dismiss them. 

 

_ But when it came to humans, these emotions and feelings is what gives their magic a ‘trait’  _ he thought to himself.

 

Sans gave your hand a squeeze, hinting that he’s still listening to you and he heard you softly exhale.

 

“Sometimes, I like to imagine that I’m strong enough to go through every. Single. Day…” you scoffed at your statement “But then, the next thing I know, I  _ have _ to be strong. Not just strong enough for  _ myself _ , but also strong enough for the  _ people around me.  _ Not because they want me to be strong, it’s because  _ they need me. _ ” 

 

Once again, he could only agree and remembered your memories invading his dreams earlier.

 

_ And that’s how you became what you are right now, broken and breaking your soul at the same time. _ He remarked in his head.

 

The two of you were quiet, both unsure what to say next or to each other, Sans didn’t know what to say or do, all he could do right now was understand you.

 

“I don’t want to sound like a ‘know-it-all’ but-” he gave your hand another squeeze “I understand what ya trying to say, princess. Even us, monsters, can’t completely understand them, those emotions and feelings. Every single one of us, both monster and humans, heck even everything that’s living or made, have them.”

 

“It’s alright…” you sighed. “I’m just-I-” sighing once again. “I’m just tired...I try to give up. But I can’t, because...because I have to keep moving forward.”

 

“I know, (y/n)...” Sans cooed at you “I know.” he gently pulled your hand towards him, holding it with one hand while the other hand tenderly covered the wounds on your knuckles. “I’m not...exactly a pro in healing magic. But this? This’ll at least heal your wound, can’t guarantee that it’ll not  _ not  _ leave any scars behind.” he said and began to focus his magic on your hand, soothing magic was alright, but healing magic? He’s gotten a few tricks up his sleeves for that thanks to Papyrus when he was still baby bones, but it wasn’t as strong as Toriel’s healing magic.  

 

The skeleton released your hand, revealing to you a healed knuckles but like he said, there was still scars on them. 

 

He watched you flex it again, a small smile on your face, both amazed and embarrassed about it. “Thanks, Sans.” you look at him with a sheepish smile.

 

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.” he winked

 

“Speaking of magic…” you paused, he was fond of your thinking expression, “What  _ was _ that earlier?”

 

“Earlier?” he asked, Sans could feel his face contort into confusion and slight panic, did you finally realize that there’s a link to all this and it was your soul and awakened magic doing this?

 

“You know, the couch? We fell asleep?” you pushed the topic.

 

_ Oh bones, you were talking about the soothing magic.  _ He sighed inwardly in relief to himself.

 

“Dunno what you’re talkin’ bout.” he laughed and stood up, stretching himself before grinning at you, oh he does know, and who’s gonna make him admit it? You, of course. But it won’t be anytime soon “How ‘bout we go to Grillby’s, eh?”

“Aw, come on!” you jokingly whined “Don’t change the subject!”

 

“Still dunno what you’re talkin’ bout.” he insisted with a laugh.

 

Sans was already walking ahead of you “W-wait!” you called out to him. “I need to go back to the restaurant!” you yelled after him.

 

He gave you a confused look. “You’re going back to the scene of your crime?” he jokingly said

 

“I left my bag and jacket!” you declared and ran up to him, a look of panic on your face.

 

Giving you another look of confusion. “If it’s about your stuff, I had it with me.” then the skeleton realized he hadn’t told you about that, and that’s entirely his fault.

 

Furrowing your brows at him, and giving him a doubtful look. “Then...where is it?”

 

“Why’d ya think we’re going to Grillby’s, princess?” he laughed and gave you an arrogant look. “I left it there while I went out searching for you.” he said, trying to correct his mistake of not telling you about it earlier. 

 

_ What a numbskull.  _ Sans scolded himself.

 

“I owe you a lot.” you sighed “How do I repay you?” you said in genuine gratitude.

 

He blinks and looks at you like you’ve grown an extra head, then he barked with laughter before pointing a thumb at the slightly visible sign that says Grillby’s “You can repay me by drinking with me at the pub.” 

 

he started walking again, and you closely followed up beside him and linked your arm around his. Sans felt his chest tighten and his soul tingle, it seems too affectionate for him to misunderstand, but right now, he held back his thoughts and let you do you. “Thanks for being with me right now...” you mumbled.

 

He coughed, trying to think of words that doesn’t sound creepy when the two of you had linked arms and walking to the pub “What are friends for?” he finally said after a few minutes of contemplating.

 

_ Oof, hurting yourself right there, pal.  _ Sans inwardly remarked to himself when he said those words. Then he watched you tilt your head back to laugh, pulling him by the arm and pointing at Grillby’s with your free hand “TIME TO DRINK THE NIGHT AWAY!” you gleefully screamed in the middle of the empty park, causing the two of you to laugh.

 

Today’s events gave him warmth and a ton of realizations and theories. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed reading the comments and I truly appreciate your words! I hoped you enjoyed chapter 3! more chapters coming soon!
> 
> having read chapter 3, this fills you with determination...(and patience).


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things escalated awkwardly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to point out that uh...
> 
> \- Reader in the fic is 25 going 26.  
> \- Sans is older than Reader.
> 
> Enjoy chapter 4!

By the time you and Sans arrived at Grillby’s, the pub was filled to the brim with both monsters and humans, you look at Sans in confusion “What’s the occasion today?”

 

“Oh, it’s just Jazz Night.” he winked at you. You look around and surely enough, there were groups of people and monsters with instrument cases, some were practicing quietly, others were reading some papers and tapping their shoes at the same time.

 

Still arm in arm, Sans pulled you along with him from getting too distracted with the sight, the two of you walked up to the bar area where Grillby was busy taking orders and making drinks. “Heya, Grillbz.” Sans greeted the elemental. “Busy night tonight, eh?” 

 

The bar owner gave the skeleton a raised eyebrow, “And what about you? Gonna be busy tonight too?”

 

“Nah, S’not like that with me and (y/n).” the other shrugged at Grillby, giving him the nonchalant attitude. “‘Sides I still have work tomorrow.”

 

You felt a stab on your chest, your brows twitch in confusion but then you ignored it and let go of Sans’ arm, taking a seat in front of the elemental “Pssh, this guy? Ha! Sans won’t last a night with me.” you joked.

 

“Oh, I bet I can.” he said in a low tone that made you shiver. 

 

“Yeah?” you challenged him. “You look like you won’t last a  _ whole _ night.” you grinned deviously.

 

“Are you guys seriously gonna go there?” Grillby commented with a laugh. “Go get a room, you two.”

 

“Nah.” 

 

“No thanks.”

 

you and Sans answered at the same time then the two of you looked at each and roared with laughter.

 

You sighed to yourself. “As much as I love to get myself drunk because of what happened.” you look at the stage where people were setting up last minute equipment. “I think it’ll be a waste to miss this.”

 

Sans nodded in agreement “This happens every Friday.” he said and took off his suit jacket to reveal the ‘COOL DUDE’ t-shirt with a dull blue long-sleeved undershirt, pretty fitting for the chill

atmosphere here in the pub, then you watched him walked behind the counter to retrieve your belongings. 

 

You were gonna go down and meet him halfway for your stuff, but he motioned you to stay there.

 

“Here.” handing your stuff over the moment he got to you and reclaimed his seat beside you again. “Told ya, I stashed it ‘ere.” he gave you the same smug look earlier.

 

“Oh, gee, thanks a bunch.” you sarcastically said with a smile and rolled your eyes at him.

 

“No problems, princess.” he said, still with that smug look as he leaned on his palm.

 

Then two drinks in blue liquid with floating limes and ice cubes in whiskey glasses appeared before you and Sans. “Baby Blues. On the house.” Grillby said before going back to attend another customer at the bar.

 

“That’s an adorable name for these drinks.” you commented and gazed at the drink with soft awe.

 

“Sounds lame to me, but hey, I’m not complaining on free drinks.” Sans shrugged and slowly drank  from his drink.

 

“You’re not suppose to complain.” Grillby said from the far left of the bar.

 

You giggled while Sans grinned apologetically to the pub owner, and noticed the lights had dimmed and a host had appeared on the stage. It was a humanoid robot monster, his bangs covering his right eye and wearing quite the extravagant clothing, the heels on his pink boots dully clicked on the wooden stage  “Hello, darlings!” he shouts into the mic while wildly waving his free hand to everyone in the bar “Sorry to keep all you beauties waiting! Let’s all applause for the beginning of this week’s Jazz Night!” 

 

You twist around on your stool and faced the stage while applauding as loud as you can, you even hear a whoo, even some yeahs in the crowd, and few whistling. You look back at Sans who was also whistling along. There was a sign of relaxation on his face, and you couldn’t help but adore him for being that chill despite what happened.

 

“Mettaton sure knows how to stir up the crowd.” he says in a throaty laugh.

 

“Mettaton?” you asked in confusion. “The host?”

 

“Yeah, he’s a pretty big deal back in the underground.” the skeleton started to explain “He was the only idol, but now that we’re all here in the surface, he’s gotten even more popular to both humans and monsters.”

 

“I can see why.” you nodded in agreement as you watched the host do various poses “He knows how to charm the people. Better than you.” you glanced at him sideways and stuck out your tongue at him.

 

“Hey now, Princess.” he closed one eye and looked at you with a lidded right eye socket, the pupil an intense cyan blue “Careful with what ya wish for.” he sensuously said with a smirk on his face.

 

You wanna lie to yourself that  _ that _ didn’t do anything, but it greatly did, you felt yourself grow warm from the face down to your chest and far down south, you shifted your legs and folded them on top of each other, you gave out an awkward laugh and looked away from Sans, you heart was beating too fast for its own good. 

 

_ Damn you, Sans and your deep voice.  _ you cursed at him in your head.

 

Then you see the first group of people playing, you watched them take their places, each of them with different brass instruments in hand and one of them had sat behind the drum sets, and when the music started, everyone became quiet and enjoyed the music. “Wow, I… I didn’t know jazz would be this soothing.” you said in awe and took a sip of your drink. “It’s just so...I don’t know how to explain it but-I love it.”

 

“Heh, pretty great for just relaxing around, right?” Sans nodded after saying that. 

 

“My, oh my! Is this Sans, I see?!” a singsong robotic voice calls from the crowd ahead.

 

“Hey, Mettaton.” Sans greeted the new arrival with a raising of his drink. “Hosting Jazz Night again?”

 

The humanoid robot sauntered up to the two of you and gave the most charming smile he could show. “You know, I always do, darling. I could care less about my busy schedule just to be here.” he smugly replied and when he noticed you, he gave you a look over and placed a hand on your chin, lifting your face up to meet his, there was a hint of mischievousness in his eye. “And who is this beauty- Oh. Ohohohoho~” his sentence cut short, as if realizing something, he turned his robotic head to Sans and gave the cheekiest smile. “I see what this is~” 

 

You look over to Sans, and you see him give Mettaton a squint. 

 

The robot returned his attention to you “Baby doll, why don’t you introduce yourself? Hmm?” he softly cooed at you and gently released your face from his grasp. 

“I, uhm, I’m (Y/n) (L/n).” You stammered at this sudden turn of events, completely confused at what’s going on.

 

Mettaton gave out haughty laugh while covering his mouth with his hand. “I see! I see! So that’s how it is!” he claimed, clearly the only one that knows what’s going on, no, maybe Sans knows as well and even Grillby?

 

You look at Sans in confusion, and he shakes his head and shrugged at your direction. 

 

“Our Sansy is on a date!” Mettaton loudly declared while pointing at you and at the skeleton. The robot giddily hopping at his declaration of the situation in front of him, the people nearest the three of you had turned their heads and gave you and Sans some thumbs up and others were smiles of approval. 

 

“W-what? No, no, no, that’s not how it is.” you stammered and felt your face heating up.

 

You glance at Sans, and his pupils have gone, but he had a flat grin on his face but his whole skull had turn dark blue and he also seemed to be sweating. And when his pupils came back and looked at you, he turned his head away while covering his mouth with a bony hand. Clearly avoiding eye contact with you.

 

This startling event really had you in an awkward spot, and this didn’t help with your heart, you tried to do the breathing method, but it failed because it felt like you were gonna faint any moment for the lack of oxygen and the constricting feeling around your chest. You slowly stood up, breathing heavily “H-hey, wher-where’s the...b-b-bath...r-room?” you asked in broken words, talking right now was making it even harder for you to breath.

 

God, this embarrassment has no end, you just wished that people minded their own business, but the more you keep thinking about it and the more people misunderstood the relationship between you and Sans, stressed out your heart.

 

“Hey, ya alright there, princess?” the skeleton asked out of concern.

 

“F-fine…” you weakly raised your hand to stop him from coming down his seat, “bath-” you inhaled deeply “Bathroom? Where?” you simply asked, and followed Sans hand motion, his phalanges pointing at the the door leading to the back, you nodded in thanks and took your bag with you. Leaving your jacket on your stool so that no one else is gonna take it.

 

You tried to steadily walk on your feet, but every agonizing step made it difficult, your vision started to have black edges and visible sparks.

 

_ Breathe (y/n), breathe.  _ You reminded yourself.

 

Reaching the door to the back, you pushed it open with your whole body, you tried to grab unto the doorframe but failed and you fell, the customers might think you were drunk and had a little too much. But in reality, you’re just fighting to breathe properly because of this condition you have. 

 

**_A condition you got from witnessing the gruesome moments of your life in the battlefield…_ **

 

You stood up in all four and tried to regulate your breathing once again.  _ Come on, you got this.  _ Reminding yourself again as you slowly crawled to the wall and leaned against it as you sat down, you painfully reach for your stuff and dragged it across the floor, and you shakily opening your bag, rummaging through the stuff inside. Pulling out a medium sized makeup purse with your medications inside, you struggled to open it when the zipper got stuck, now you were hyperventilating and slowly and mentally breaking down at how bothersome this is and you needed your medications quickly.

 

_ You should’ve taken your medication earlier! _ You screamed in your head.

 

“Ah,  _ Fuck! _ ” Even with your struggling, the small bag still hasn’t opened, you had enough and threw the object on the floor and silently cried while hugging your knees and looking up at the ceiling.

 

You heavily sighed...It wasn’t the embarrassment of your misunderstood relationship with the skeleton that had caused your heart to stress out like this, it was because you remembered Trey, and you felt a pang of guilt, hurt, and even anger when you remembered him earlier while being teased about Sans by Mettaton. “You’re a complete idiot…” you whispered to yourself. “Nine fucking years of being away from family, friends, and from Trey...of course, I should have expected things weren’t gonna be the same as before when I came back…” softly hitting the back of your head against the wall. “No wonder my letters weren’t being replied to as much as before and my telephone calls were declined…”

 

Remembering the good times and the bad, you and Trey stood up to it, even worked out solutions and came to conclusions. “I guess, no matter the memories or how long you’ve been together, a person will change when they want to…” you softly said and scoffed to yourself. 

 

Taking some time to stare at the ceiling before sighing again “Humans are so greedy…” you say then closed your eyes and inhaled a shuddering breath, once again doing the breathing exercise, this time with you being calm. You just sat there listening to the faint jazz music from the otherside of the door, you hear cheerings, clappings and some other slightly audible words, you hear Mettaton vaguely speaking into the mic. 

 

The crowd goes wild with whatever the robot said. 

 

Once you’ve calmed down, you took some time to stand around before going over to your thrown medicine purse “...Still need these.” you hesitantly remarked, counting the days that you still need to take the meds, you frown when you realized that it was gonna be months. Hopefully you don’t forget to take them as per instructed by the doctor you visited. You hear the door open and see Grillby peeking through it “Everything alright? You’re not stealing something in the kitchen, right?” he jokingly asked, despite not having a visible mouth.

 

You waved the medicine pouch above your face, “Just got out of the bathroom and I forgot to take my meds.” you effortlessly lied, you didn’t practice lying for nothing. 

 

“Alright, take your time.” he said in a soft voice.

 

You felt guilt run through you, having to lie to someone who was concerned about you was something you never were proud of. But it was for the best, you didn’t want to the others to worry about you for having a meltdown in the pub’s kitchen. You still couldn’t open the medicine purse, so instead of giving up, you pinched each side of the zipper and pulled. The zipper opened in the middle and revealed your bottles of medicine, looking around for a glass, you found some drying on the dish rack. You took one and filled it with tap water, setting the glass down beside you while you open the bottles and taking out each pill from it, you tilted your head back and swallowed them and then you followed it up with water. 

 

Finishing the water, you diligently washed the glass before putting it back down on the dish rack, you fixed yourself for a bit before grabbing the medicine pouch and your bag from the floor, you took a deep breath and walked out of the door as if nothing happened.

 

You see Sans lazily swirling his drink around, intently staring at it as if it had all the answers to the world, “Hey.” you softly called out to him before reclaiming your seat. 

 

“Took you awhile?” he asked and looked up at you, a trace of concern on his face.

 

“A lady needs her time.” you lied, again, and shot him with a wink to make it even more convincing.

 

He scoffed at you while shaking his head and went back to swirling his drink around but his eyes were to the stage now, you followed his gaze and there was a new set of performers, playing a catchy, but at the same time, it was also a slightly sad song?

 

You were gonna reach for your drink when you felt some kind of pull, instinctively, you look up at Sans and you find him staring at you with this clear hint of tenderness and concern. You couldn’t help but look away and feel the flush coming.

“Heh.” you hear him scoff again.

 

“S-something wrong with my face?” you stuttered, before timidly looking at him.

 

“Nah, Just wondering…” he simply answered and shrugged.

 

frowning at the skeleton, you rolled your eyes “What? Falling for me?” you jokingly said to him,

 

You see Sans slowly turning a shade of blue before he downing his drink all at once. “What? Nah. who’re you kidding, princess?” he awkwardly laugh and tried to maintain his composure after what you said to him. You guffawed at him and covered your face with one hand while the other resting on your stomach “Can’t you take a joke?” you laughed even harder and slowly calmed yourself before you could fall off your stool, you enjoyed this, you really did. 

 

And you can’t help but be thankful for this skeleton from day one of your arrival.

 

“...I really can’t thank you enough, Sans.” you sincerely said out of the blue, finally calm from laughing, and not really sure how you would own this up to him. “And it’s...weird? How easily we kinda clicked.” you said metaphorically as you motioned your hands.

 

The other could only give you a blank look before he reached out to scratch the back of his skull “‘S nothing really.” he awkwardly said “Am just doing what I can.”

 

You shrugged and went back to watching the stage, same group of people playing the jazz, but this time the music was light and cheery, and you smiled at the tune they played.

 

Both you and Sans enjoyed jazz night with the earlier events stashed into the back of your mind.

  
  


\-------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


You hugged yourself, pulling your jacket closer to you “It’s four in the fucking morning but why’s it so cold.” you said with teeth slightly chattering.

 

“It’s the only time where the surface gets to cool down, I guess.” Sans shrugged and laughed at your predicament “Here.” he called out to you and draped his suit jacket over your shoulders “Use this.” you looked at him with surprise and your felt yourself immediately grow warm, not from the additional jacket but from the gesture he just did, he returned your stare with a soft grin before looking away.

 

The two of you walked in comfortable silence, you’ve had enough excitement at Grillby’s for the night, Mettaton had ended jazz night with a dramatic but glamorous flare, and many of the customers were drinking the night away after another successful day of the event this week. And who in their right minds would not join the celebration? Of course, you guys did, but it wasn’t as extreme as before, you and Sans just drank a few and had fun chatting away to either Grillby or Mettaton and a few customers.

It made up for the dinner ruined by your ex.

 

You slowly saw your apartment coming into view, but neither you and Sans pointed it out, the silence was comfortable and it’d be a waste to just ruin it with words so suddenly. But sadly, it had to end “Welp, this is my stop.” you declared and pulled his jacket closer, you paused for a bit and contemplated whether to let him in or not “...It’s pretty late.”

 

“It  _ is _ almost morning.” he nodded in agreement, scratching his skull and making those raspy sounds.

 

“Why don’t you come in?” you asked, then realized what it meant when he gave you a slightly confused look “I mean, it’s like,  _ late _ late. And don’t you kinda live far away?” you try to explain.

 

He gave you a chuckle and shook his head “Nah, ‘s fine. I know a shortcut.” he winked. “Plus I have work tomorrow.”

 

You playfully rolled your eyes at him. “Okay, big guy.” just when you were about to take his jacket off your shoulders, you looked up to notice he was already gone. “Huh...magic is so convenient.” you said out loud before walking up the steps and entering the place, you took the elevator it provided and punched in the floor number you lived at.

 

And when you’re arrived you were already reaching for the keys to your apartment door in your bag, you were thankful for the inviting heat it welcomed you with “Home, sweet home.” you mumbled and unlocked the door, clumsily removing your shoes and not bothering with the socks, looking around you sighed heavily. You still have to do some general cleaning and a whole lot of unpacking, the only things that you were able to clean properly was your bedroom and the bathroom.

 

_ I’ll do all of this tomorrow.  _ you groaned at the thought of putting effort on something you don’t wanna do but have to. You slowly dragged yourself to your bedroom and just dropped your bag on the floor,and immediately threw yourself on the softness of the mattress and the smell of freshly cleaned bed covers “I’m sorry I had to leave you.” you mumbled into the covers.

 

Rolling unto your back, you stared at the ceiling of your bedroom, thoughts of the skeleton flooded your mind. Again. 

 

You sat up, his jacket falling off your back, you also took of your jacket. After struggling for a bit, you reached inside your shirt and unhooked your bra from behind, you pulled unto the straps from either side of your arm holes of your shirt before shimmying the torture device out from the front and dumping it on the side of your bed. You stretched and twist your back from side to side, finally feeling the freedom from your bra, you stood up and shimmied out of your pants.

 

“Should I wear shorts…?” you debated and took a long look at your closet “Nah, too much hassle.” you shrugged and dropped your pants on the floor alongside your bra.

 

You walked to the bathroom and proceed to brush your teeth.

 

Taking some time, you thoughts wandered to how Sans would react if he saw you like this, would he get turned on or would he be embarra-- You choked on the foam and spat it out, earning a dying fit of coughing. 

 

_ Ohnonononono what the fucking fuuuuuuuuck????? _ You thought in an alarming rate.  _ He’s just a friend! A friend! No bad thoughts! Shoo! Go away! Why would you think up of scenarios after a break up?!  _ You scolded yourself, feeling the heat grow on your face.

 

Inwardly screaming to yourself as you slowly felt guilt crawling on your back. How could you think of those kinds of thoughts after breaking it off with Trey? Though it did end badly, but why? Does Sans even  _ have  _ one? Would he conjure one up with magic? How does a skeleton even  _ have or do _ se-- You shook your head again to dispel these thoughts forming.

 

What have you done to yourself? You’re seriously having an embarrassing one on one fight with your thoughts.

 

_ Maybe it’s time for me to sleep. _ You finally decided and walked to your room, exhausted from the ‘fight’.

 

Seeing your bed, you cleared it from your stuff and dropped your jacket on the floor without any second thoughts, but when you saw Sans’ suit jacket, you blankly stare at it before holding it up to your face and giving it a sniff. The jacket still had the same smell of laundry detergent, but there was also a heavy hint of vanilla and a flowery cologne, “Huh…” you didn’t think the skeleton would be the type to like such scents. Then you had another idea, a stupid one at that, you took off your shirt and wore his jacket. Feeling the soft cottony material on your skin “Heh, this feels like I’m being  _ hugged _ by Sans...” you commented, a warm and fuzzy feeling erupting in your chest, you crawled under your covers before settling nicely with your head on your pillow.

 

Already feeling the weight of sleepiness and not being able to fight it off any longer, you fell into slumber, comforted by the jacket the skeleton left.

  
  


\-------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


As you were reaching the end of your general cleaning, you walked up to the last thing that needed to be cleaned, the coffee table that had pictures and picture frames hug by the wall it leaned against, one by one you wiped the frames, and one by one you remembered the memories. Picking up a frame that contained a picture of you and your family, you scoffed “Josh, wasn’t in this pic yet.” you commented and ran a finger along the glass on top of the faces of your parents and a teen in front of them, this was a time before Josh came to be part of your family and before everything ended with that car crash. You stared at it with a sad smile and wiped the dust ridden glass before putting it back to its usual place, then you went over a frame of another picture that had you, Josh, and your parents. You cleaned it and placed it back with a soft laugh “Josh, sure was lanky back then.” you say with nostalgia, remembering the times where you could accidentally break his bones if you weren’t careful enough, yikes. 

 

Then you looked over to the next one and halted, your face turning into frustration, anger, then sadness. It was a picture of you and Trey on your first date, you sighed heavily and stood up, taking the picture frame off before taking the photo out to be shredded by the shredding machine in your study room. 

 

You blankly stare at it, studying Trey’s face and thought, maybe you had also fallen out of love for him? Maybe what showed you last night was a chance for you to realize this? And maybe, just maybe, that was also the step you  _ needed  _ to not make the first move in breaking up just because you were scared of hurting him? 

Maybe you were right, but also maybe you were wrong. And all you could feel right now? wa s that you were certain that your relationship with Trey must have ended a long time ago.

 

Dropping the picture into the mouth of the shredding machine, you watch it become strips of paper...you were supposed to  _ feel _ something, yet you felt numb. You sighed and walked back to where you left off of cleaning, little by little, you took off the pictures of you and your ex. Slowly piling them in one corner and setting aside the now empty frames into one of the coffee table drawers, it’d be a waste for you to throw them, so stashing them away for future use is better.

 

You look at your masterpiece after cleaning the area, taking away some of the pictures left so much space, and it was the right amount of space that would allow you to hang and place newer pictures.

 

An idea had just struck you, hurriedly walking off to your bedroom and coming back to the living room with a small box from when you were still training, you settled yourself comfortably on the floor and rummage through the items in front of you. Pulling out a medium sized brown envelope, you dumped the contents on the floor, a medal of honor made a heavy sound while pictures of you and your comrades and even instructors were photographed and developed. You picked up that one picture where every single one of you and your squad was complete, heck, even your instructor was in it and  _ smiling _ . 

 

“Those were the days…” you mumbled, scrutinizing each faces of the people you were with in training and on the battlefield. A few MIA, a handful sent home due to injuries to both physically and mentally, and that included you; and most...were killed in action for their beliefs, valor, and love for their country. But aside from that you remembered the times of hardship during training, the fights between you and others then reconciling, joking around, consoling each other and even celebrating the last day of passing the trainings together.

 

You breathed in deeply, death doesn’t discriminate in the battlefield, whether you were an innocent civilian caught in the middle of the war or a soldier trying to live through another day to uphold a mission. 

 

And everything you went through made you questioned yourself every. Single. Day.

 

“Was everything worth it…?” you sadly say to yourself, feeling your heart hurt, you tried to calm yourself down with the breathing exercise, it helped, but the pain is still there. And it’ll stay there for a long time, you’re just glad that you’ve taken your meds earlier before cleaning and lucky to be alive.

 

You took out a frame from the drawer and placed the picture inside then placed it on top of the coffee table, after doing that you set it aside and picked up another picture, it was a younger you and an older man. Both grinning from ear to ear, proudly holding the rifles close to your chests and posing a salute to the camera, the man in the picture with you was your older brother. You stared at it with a sorrowful look, remembering that one memory where you’ve last seen and talked to him on the frontlines, grinding your teeth together till your jaw hurts, you regret a lot of things that day.

 

Sighing heavily, you took another picture frame out and placed the picture inside.

 

Jumping at the sound of loud banging on your door.

 

You immediately got up and rushed over, peeking through the peephole, you see Josh and Keith waiting on the other side of the door. You instantly opened the door which shocked the two “Hey, you two!” you happily say after seeing their surprised expressions.

 

“Why didn’t you reply to my texts!” Josh frustratingly said with hands on his hips, Keith was behind him and waved a hand at you.

 

“Sorry, busy cleaning?” you sheepishly grinned at your younger brother and shrugged with both your shoulders and hands.

 

“What’s the use of your phone then?!” he said in a mock angry tone.

 

“Err… calls? And texts?” you replied in uncertainty.

 

Josh rolled his eyes at you, you allowed the two visitors to come into your newly cleaned apartment. “Oh, uh, watch out for the stuff on the floor. I’m not done with it.” you warned as the two walked through the hallway down to your living room.

 

“It’s a beautiful day outside, yet you’re cooped up here arranging pictures even though you’re done with cleaning.” Josh commented as he squatted near the box and examining the pictures.

 

“Yeah, well, I had to _ remove _ some to _ make room _ for some.” you shrugged at the pile of old photos of you and Trey, and sat back down on the floor beside Josh. 

 

“Ah,” he frowned but agreed with a nod. “Oh, hey! Isn’t this Robert?” he exclaimed and held up the frame where the picture of you and your older brother is in. 

 

You nodded with a smile “We were pretty young back then.” you shoved your hands into the pockets of your sweat pants. “A pair of dorks not aware of what’s gonna happen.” you laughed bitterly at what you said. “I’m just glad the war is over.”

 

Josh sighed and placed the frame beside the one with you and your comrades, contemplating on what to say to you “Seriously though, we should go out.”

 

“The prof is prolly at the park selling hotdogs.” Keith chimed in.

 

“Prof? Hotdogs? What?” you asked in confusion. “One of your uni professors sell hotdogs?”

 

“Yeah, Sans does.” Josh shrugged.

 

“Wait, what?” you asked again, more confused. “Is that even possible?”

 

“Well.. there’s no law here in Ebott City that you can’t have multiple jobs.” Keith pointed it out to you.

 

“I mean, yeah. But he’s teaching at your uni.” you squint your eyes at them “Isn’t the pay there kinda generous to professors?”

 

“I don’t know the details, but, Sans told us one time in class that he just sells the hotdogs to pass time on the weekends, a break from all those formulas and theories and all that jazz he teaches us. Plus the monster kids looks for them cause the food he sells are monster food.” Josh explained to you. “Besides, Mrs. B and the kids from the foster care would be at the park by now.” 

 

You look at the window behind Keith, Josh was right, it is a good day outside. No wonder the kids could be out at this time. You sighed and gave in “Okay. Alright. Just let me have a few minutes to myself.” you said “You two can watch tv or something while waiting for me.”

 

“‘Kaaaay~” Josh replied and walked behind Keith who was already aiming for the tv remote. The two play fighting over who’s gonna pick a channel, you watch the two squabble and laughed at each other.

 

You silently laughed and shook your head at the two. “What a couple...”

 

Walking off to the bathroom to take a much need shower after cleaning the whole morning away.

  
  


\-------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


You shield your eyes from the sun, forgetting your sunglasses which was the most important thing to you right now, was a stupid move “It’s a beautiful day, but the sun is blinding me.” you commented as the three of you walked around the park. You look at Josh and Keith who had their sunglasses on, as if rubbing salt into your wounds for not having one “Well, it’s not my fault you forgot yours.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” you grin in defeat, what a brat “So where do you think they are?”

 

“Who?” Josh asked then realized what you just said “Oh! Mrs. B and kids will be at the open area.”

 

“Open area?” you incredulously asked. “Was that such a thing before?”

 

“It is now,” Keith shrugged “they just finished constructing it two years ago. It’s like outdoor picnic areas but with small house like structures surrounding an open field and food and drink stands lining the entrance. That’s where a lot of people come together to celebrate or relax or watch the kids play.”

 

“Huh, interesting.” you imagined the place “I’m just glad there’s gonna be a ton of stuff to look forward to.”

 

“Oh wait till you  _ see  _ the place.” Josh bragged “Open Area was created by the king and queen of monsters and the mayor of the city, it’s one of the most creative and fun collaborative projects they’ve done in the past few years, this project also helped a lot of people and monsters that time.”

 

“It’s really nice to know that two different species are getting along.” you nodded and smile in agreement.

 

You arrived at ‘The Open Area’

 

_ Wow, literally the name of the place. _

 

You noticed a sign in beautiful cursive “This a place where both humans and monsters shall have fun and enjoy each other’s company. Signed by King Asgore, Queen Toriel, and Mayor of Ebbot City.” you read out loud with a soft smile on your face before hurriedly jogging after the two that went ahead.

 

You hear kids playing and you look around to see a small area where tubes of pipes form like arches over them, water flowing down and drenching the children, then you see pillars of water shooting from the ground, spraying upwards and dropping like rain. You were amazed by the sight, this part of the park was the largest open space you’ve encountered, there were two sets of playgrounds ahead, and  _ even _ a dog park. Lining up the sides where stands of food and drinks, and right in front of the stands were the picnic tables and outdoor house structures, still following the college couple in front of you when you suddenly bumped into them. “What the f-”

 

“WELCOME HOME!”

 

Everyone yelled at the top of their lungs when you saw them, Bertha and the kids huddled around a large picnic table where food was laid out, Josh and Keith had their arms around your shoulders and slightly shaking your around as they joined in the yelling. You also see Sans, Papyrus, and a young non binary individual standing between them and a yellow monster, also cheering along with  the others. 

 

You were speechless, still trying to process what was happening around you, you blinked and felt your chest tightened in a way you can’t tell if this was a bad or good thing “Wow, what...what is happening?” you asked out loud. 

 

“A proper celebration for you, dummy!” Josh screamed into your ear and hugged you.

 

You felt mixed emotions at this point, you don’t know whether to collapse and cry or hug back and scream in excitement. But before you could even do anything, Josh pulled you along and up to the table, he forced you to sat down.

 

In front of you was a ton of food, there was Bertha’s famous apple pie, Josh’s fried wings, 3 boxes of pizza from the pizza place you frequent, hotdogs that was probably from Sans, Papyrus’s spaghetti, and sodas of different varieties. You can’t lie to yourself out of this one, because let’s be honest here, you haven’t had anything to eat earlier because your fridge was empty, and all you drank was water and coffee.

You could feel yourself salivate from the sight of the food, you immediately cover your mouth with your hand when you felt like you could drool any moment. You hear a cough and look over to Sans who was struggling not to laugh at you, you gave him a sheepish grin. 

 

“Heh, well-” he shrugged at your direction “Someone’s already drooling.” he said, winking at you.

 

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS AGREES! LET US ALL EAT!” Papyrus said in his loud voice, initiating the others to start eating.

 

Without any delay, everyone that was present began picking what food they wanted to eat, Josh had sat beside you and Keith beside him. The skeleton brothers sat at the far right on the opposite side, along with their friend. You lovingly watched the kids go after the pizza and the chicken wings, some of them even went for the spaghetti and hotdogs the brothers brought, you watch Bertha cut a piece of her pie and placing it on your disposable plate. 

 

Everyone was busy eating and talking, sharing stories of what happened in school, or day to day events, Bertha was talking to Josh about celebrating one of the kid’s birthday next week, Keith and Sans were talking about some kind of lesson from uni. You also see Papyrus, the yellow monster and their non binary friend talking to each other about something they could only understand. 

 

This was a sight that you thought you would never get to see again if you didn’t come back alive from the frontlines. 

 

_ I just wish Ma and Pa, and even Robby was here to see this. _

 

You ate along and joined in the talk, sometimes scolding the kids and sometimes helping them reach the foods they want. 

 

Eating had become talking, then talking had become joke and pun telling with Sans slowly draining you and the others of life. And the kids who were done had already left for the playground and the small water park the open area provided, when everyone had completely finished their meals, you helped Bertha with cleaning up, Josh and Keith had gone after the kids to watch over them. The skeleton brothers and their companions also helped with cleaning up, it’s a great thing for this part of the park to have outdoor sinks near the picnic tables and booths.

 

You were washing the non disposable dishes and utensils when the monster kid accompanied by the other had come up to and holding other dishes that needed to be cleaned.

 

“Thank you, sweethearts.” you tenderly say at the two while looking up at them, casually calling them with a pet name. “It’s my first time meeting you two. What’re your names?”

 

“I’m Frisk.” the one with the bob cut and genderless clothing said before pointing at the monster kid beside them “And this is MK.”

 

“Yo! MK is short for Monster Kid!” MK cheerily explained to you.

 

“Nice to meet you Frisk, MK.” you smiled warmly at the two, and they grinned back at you.

 

“Is there anything we can help out with?” Frisk asked you, you looked at them from head to toe, this young person could possibly be at the same age as Josh and Keith.

 

“Oh, no.” you quickly refused “I can handle these.”

 

“Are you sure you’re gonna be alright?” MK asked this time.

 

You contemplated for a bit and sighed, “Alright,  _ fine _ .” you said after chuckling in defeat when you saw their pouts “Why don’t you take these cleaned ones to Mrs. Bee at the picnic table? She’ll know where to keep them.”

 

From disappointment to happy faces in a second, you watched the two take the clean ones and walking back to the picnic table. Your head followed them until you saw Sans walking up to you with a large trash bag in his bony hand “Taking out the trash?” you smirked at him.

 

“Nah, would rather take  _ you  _ out.” he smoothly said with his deep voice and did a finger gun and walked behind the outdoor sink to place the trash bag inside one of the outdoor wheeled trash bins. 

 

It took you a moment before you realized what he just said, you felt your face heat up, and continued to wash the last one. “You’re such a numbskull.” you retaliated with a laugh before running away from the skeleton, carrying the cleans ones to the picnic table where Bertha was waiting for you.

 

“What’s gotten you beat red?” Mrs. Bee incredulously asked you, taking note that you ran here.

 

“Nothing!” you accidentally shout in denial, scaring Papyrus, Frisk, MK and even Bertha.

 

You became even redder, “I-I’m sorry.” you quickly apologized to them “ _Nothing_ _happened,_ alright?” you let out a shuddering breath and gave the last batch of cleaned dishes and utensils to Bertha.

 

“IT’S ALRIGHT HUMAN! WE COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND!” Papyrus reassured you, MK nodded along but frisk was glaring at the other skeleton that had came back from trash duty.

 

“What?” he asked when he saw you and the others looking at him “I didn’t do anything.” he shrugged while giving you his signature smirk. 

You gave him an eye roll before looking away and softly smiling to yourself.

 

Then you noticed the kids running up and calling out to you. “Hey, guys.” you looked at them in confusion “Now what’re you up to this time?” 

 

“Play with us!”

 

“Yeah (y/n)! You haven’t played with us for a long time!”

 

“Come on! Come on!” 

 

“You’re it! So we have to run away from you!”

 

You jerk your head back at their playstyle “Really? Without setting any rules?” you asked, face breaking up in deeper confusion, You see Josh and Keith looking at you from behind the group of kids, and shrugged their shoulders when you made eye contact with them. “Why not Josh? Or Keith?”

 

“They’re no fun!”

 

“Those two just wants to run away and not be IT!”

 

You laughed “Why not them?” you nodded your head over Sans and his group.

 

“No! Sans would use magic!”

 

“Papyrus is too fast!”

 

“Frisk runs fast too!”

 

“MK tends to fall down a lot and we don’t want to see him hurt himself chasing us.”

 

They all explained, your heart warmed at the last statement though, “Alright, Alright.” you try to calm them down. “Okay, When I count to three… you guys should start running.” you instructed them. You’re just glad, you wore your running shoes instead of the usual converse or boots, those things easily break.

 

“One…” you started and the children slowly backed away.

 

“Two…” you say while twisting your ankles to ready them for running, you hear Sans whistle and Papyrus cheering for you. “CAPTURE THE TINY HUMANS, HUMAN!”

 

“You can do it!” you hear Frisk and MK shout along.

 

“Heh, break a leg, princess.” you hear Sans say that and you swore to yourself that he’s letting out a grin after saying that.

 

You can already tell that the kids, even Josh and Keith, had a few meters ahead of you. “Three!” you shouted and bolted after them. You reach out to touch Josh on the shoulder but he dodges quite easily by ducking away from your hand, then runs away to the opposite direction, you still go after him but he dodges away from you by skipping away to the side and running to his earlier direction “Oh, you piece of-!”

 

“No swearing!” you hear Bertha shout at you, you sheepishly waved at her and continued to run, chasing after a new target, one of the teen kids, you gain speed and tap them on the shoulder. You laugh loudly as they squeal in surprise after being tagged by you. You walked a bit before slowing down, trying to take in big gulps of air, you watched the new ‘it’ run around chasing other kids. “I’m too old for this.” you remarked to yourself and you hear Josh laugh beside you. 

 

“You’re just twenty-five turning twenty-si--.” he countered then began to sprint away again.

 

You look in front of you and see Keith running at your direction, you immediately roll to the side to avoid his hand, if you had been a second late, you would’ve been the ‘it’ again and you’ll be forced to run  _ again _ . It was also a good thing he didn’t turn around and chase after you, instead he continued to run, eyes fixed on Josh who was desperately running away from his boyfriend.

 

“Whoo! Go get him, Keith!” you cheered, then you see Keith tackle Josh into the ground, the two rolling and laughing and accidentally falling into the park’s small pond. “Oh shit.” you mumbled while still laughing. You jogged up to them, seeing the two completely drenched, and splashing water at each other. “Are you two alright?!” you asked the moment you got to them.

 

“Yeah, Yeah, we’re fine.” Josh assured you and stood up, helping Keith in the process.

 

“Guess, we’re completely out from the next game.” Keith declared as he took Josh’s hand and stood up.

 

“Next game?” you asked “What next game?”

 

“Oh, the blindfold challenge.” Josh said in a matter-of-fact tone. “You’re it again.”

 

“Oh, no. Not that.” you exasperated with a sigh.

 

The blindfold challenge was one of those family games you and Josh did a lot back when you were kids. One will be blindfolded, spun around for how many times and then the ‘it’ has to follow the instructions of one person and try to find and grab as many people and guess their names in the game.

 

You groan and follow the drenched couple. 

 

“Nice tackle there, kid.” Sans commented the moment the three of you showed up. “That was a great scene to see.” he grinned and chuckled a deep throaty laugh.

 

“YOU TWO SHOULD DRY YOURSELVES!” Papyrus piped in and pulled some towels out of nowhere. 

 

_ Best for me not to question that. _ you raised a brow, already knowing that it had something to do with magic.

 

You watched Josh and Keith drape themselves with the provided towels, you notice the kids already fooling around Bertha, Frisk, and MK.

 

“Time for the next game!”

 

“Blindfold game! Blindfold game!”

 

“Come on, Come on, you two join as well!” 

 

The kids had pulled the skeleton brothers up to their feet and dragged them to the a more spacious area in front of the picnic table, you giggle at the sight before you. Frisk then pulls you along, with MK head butting you from the back. “Oh, no.” you jokingly say.

 

“ _ We _ know that you’re the ‘it’.” Frisk says and halts in the middle of a circle the others made, they slip an eye mask over your head and settled it nicely on top of your eyes. Then you felt their hand, you begin to spin, trusting Frisk’s hands to guide you as you spin, then they grab you by the shoulders and stopped you from spinning.

 

“I’m so f--dizzy r-right now.” you awkwardly laugh as you stumble a bit, the hands already gone from your shoulder.

 

“To your left, (y/n)!” you hear josh scream.

 

You followed and staggeringly walk to your left, left hand stretched far, trying to reach out for the person, you hear a kid giggle in front of you, so turning your body to face them, you slowly walked forward inch by inch, “Go on! Just a bit more!” your brother yelled and then groan in frustration. “Right! Right!” yelling another instruction.

 

You promptly followed and shot your right hand out. 

Feeling a shoulder, you immediately grabbed the person to prevent them from running away. Your fingers examined the face with your sense of touch, then you felt the hair, no one has curly hair like- “Penelope!” you excitedly shout your answer.

 

“No! She got me!” Penelope denied but laughed.

 

“You’re out, baby girl! You know the rules!” Josh yells “Alright, turn a few steps to the right!”

 

You did and you immediately bumped into someone, they laughed and quickly moved away from your grasp. You waved both arms in front of you, you stumble for a bit but caught yourself when you had your foot forward. “Reach down!” Josh ordered, and you followed. You accidentally bonk someone in the head with a karate chop. 

 

“OW!” a kid’s voice shortly howls in pain.

 

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry!” you quickly apologized but you grab hold of the kid in front of you. You then touch their face, there was a bump on the brow and you rubbed that part gently, the only kid with a scar on their left brow is- “Brendan!”

 

“That’s unfair! She karate chopped me on the head!” he claimed but the voice sounded more cheery rather than angry.

 

Everyone in the circle laughed at his remarks.

 

“I knoooow, I’m so sorryyyy.” you apologized again, feeling a smile on your face.

 

“It’s fine.” he laughed and you listened to him walk off.

 

“Are we going in a circle?” you yelled as you turned your head, not sure if you even facing Josh.

 

“Nope! Now walk backward!” he ordered, nodding your head, you confidently took a few steps back and felt something block the back of your legs, you fall and accidentally trap the person underneath with your body weight.

 

“Heavy!” someone squealed underneath you, the voice very familiar for it’s high notes- “Lucy!” you yelled out the name and scrambled off her. “Why’d you do that?”

 

“I thought you would go in a circle!” she claimed but giggled “Sorry about that, big sis (y/n).” you hear her apologize, voice slowly fading away.

 

“Okay! Five more left!” Josh yelled while Keith cheered you on.

 

“Let’s do it!” you hyped yourself up.

 

“Take five steps forward!” he says and you did, your fingertips immediately grazing some clothing. You felt that the person in front of you moved, and you wildly threw your hands in every direction, until you grabbed them by the shoulders, you immediately hear a giggle from above your head- “MK?”

 

“Yo! She totally guessed me!” he happily claimed “Good luck with the other four!” he said before stomping away. Footsteps clearly supporting heavy weight.

 

“Thanks, MK.” you said and stood still, awaiting for Josh’s instructions “Who didn’t I guess yet?”

 

“Why should I tell you that, you pan!” Josh deviously laughed at you.

 

“Point taken, you spork.” you shrugged with a wide grin on your face.

 

“Hands out then swipe downward to the…” he paused “Left!”

 

You did what you were told and, again, accidentally karate chopping someone and thankfully not on the head this time. 

 

“Oof.” you hear them say, you immediately hug them so they won’t move away.

 

“Sorry, couldn’t grab anything.” you apologized for suddenly hugging them.

 

“It’s alright.” they say and you already guessed from the voice.

 

“Frisk!” you yelled happily, while jumping up and down still hugging the taller person beside you.

 

“How-” they paused, body rigid from how fast you guessed their name.

 

“Your voice seems to have this unique pitch.” you pointed out and let go of them. “I noticed earlier.”

 

“Huh.” they chuckled and walked away.

 

_ Alright, just three more.  _ You thought to yourself  _ but who though? _

Pretty sure you haven’t guessed the skeleton brothers yet, there was also Bertha, but you weren’t sure if the old woman was part of the game. You scratched your head in slight frustration. “Alright! Now turn one to the right…” Josh paused, probably contemplating on what to say next “Run forward!”

 

“What?!” you distrustfully yelled back.

 

“Just trust me! Run! Forward!” Josh yelled, voice convincing enough that you were not gonna fall or something.

 

So you did and- “NYEH!? HUMAN! WAIT!” you hear Papyrus scream in front of you, presumably already taking stance to catch you, you felt hard armor hit your face as you tackle the taller skeleton to the ground, both of you groan in pain, but you quickly sat up “Papyrus!” you yelled like a child opening their gifts on christmas.

 

Papyrus groaned before releasing a pained laugh “YES, HUMAN! YOU HAVE CAUGHT ME RED HANDED!” he bellowed underneath you, you listened as he struggled to stand up, patting himself off of dirt and grass, then just like before at their house, Papyrus lifted you up like a cat and gently settled you on your feet.

 

“Thanks, Papyrus.” you laughed, not even dusting yourself off, but how could you? You were blindfolded.

 

“NO MORE TACKLING NOW, HUMAN!” the taller skeleton advised before walking off to where the others are.

 

“Alright, (y/n)! From your position you walk to your left and just slowly reach out!” Josh gave out his order to you and you obliged, you slowly walked to you left, both hands out just in case you touch someone. But instead you bump into the familiar smell of cinnamon-apple- “I found Mrs. Bee!” you excitedly shout as you bear hugged the old woman.

 

“You’ll end up breaking my back if you hug me like that.” she joked as you let go of her.

 

“Sorry, Mrs. Bee.” you laughed and let her be on her way.

 

“Okay, Sans is the only one left.” Josh said, you knew that but you felt like there was gonna be a plot twist to this. “This time, I won’t instruct you on where he is, what you’re gonna do is move around and try as much as possible to catch him!” he explained. “And go!”

 

“Oh, god.” you mumbled, you walk forward not sure where exactly you’re going but your chest feels a dull tingle.

 

“Over here, princess.” he whispers behind you. 

 

But when you turned around, expecting to hit the skeleton, instead you stumble into nothing. Shouts of encouragement and frustrations comes from Josh and the others. You moved forward, slowly inching your left foot and your left hand outstretched, the cheers become louder as if you were close to Sans, you shot out your right hand, only to hit nothing. The cheers becoming groans of frustrations again, you felt a pull and you wave your hand to the right, a tremendous cheer from them once again.

 

You were almost close to catching Sans.

 

Your chest tightened this time, your gut instinct telling you to just keep moving forward, and you did, but then again. Nothing.

 

Then you feel a caress on your cheek, you crouch and slide your left foot in a circular motion, trying to trip the other so that you could catch him, nothing, again. A tap on your shoulder, turning around and slowly reaching out your hand, you felt a bump with your fingertips then it was gone again.

 

You concentrated and tried to pinpoint where Sans could be.

 

Another tingle from your chest, and you decided to follow it, it was weird thing to do but you were desperate. So when you lunge forward and finally tackle something to the ground, you hear Sans groan and laugh in pain. 

 

His bony hands and arms around you, your hips and his hip bones together, your face was clearly on his ribcage.the scent of vanilla and laundry detergent filling you nose, he chuckled “What a way to catch me, (y/n).” he said in a low and seductive voice, it was a surprise that he actually caught you.

 

“Yeah, well.” you said as you took off the eye mask “You’re quite the slippery one.” you laughed and looked up at him.

 

And then realization hit you, the moment you had lifted your head up to meet his eyes, your lips had pressed against his bony mouth; the two of you  _ kissed _ .

 

Oddly enough you didn’t pull away immediately but slowly you did, and just mere inches from his face, you felt his hand on the back of your head. He pulled you back into a kiss, this time a deeper one, at first you were surprised but then you relaxed and when he let out his tongue to lick your lower lip as if asking for entry. 

 

You considered it for a few seconds before shutting your eyes and slightly parting your lips, you hear a soft guttural growl from him and he took you into a heated kiss. You try to pull away from him but he held on, hugging you closer to himself, you couldn’t breath, his tongue played around with yours. 

 

Dominating your mouth with his kissing skills.

 

You felt tears forming in your eyes “Mmpff-?!” moaning in surprise as he deepened the kiss further.

 

And when he let go of you, you were a mess, you look at him with arousal and at the same time fear. His left eye socket was a shining mixture of cyan and yellow, then as if seeing for the first, his face turned into horror and shock. “Sans-” you called out to him but then you feel a strong pull on your chest. 

 

Holding out his bony hand and making you glow blue, he threw you off of him and made you land in Papyrus’s arms “SANS!” his brother called out, the sudden turn of events shocked you and everyone off. When Papyrus had let you down from his arms, you looked around to find Sans had disappeared.

 

So the day ended awkwardly with Papyrus, Frisk, and MK going home first to look after Sans, while Josh and Keith went back with Mrs. Bee and the children to the foster care house.

 

You walked home alone, mulling things over, and now you’re in your own bed, recalling the accidental kiss you shared with the skeleton.

 

Today had filled you with mixed feelings about a certain monster and you dream quite the dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I just got back from the hospital for health reasons, I'm very very sorry for the long delay and once again, I very much appreciate the comments you left behind! I enjoy reading them and it fills me with determination!
> 
> I did a lot of time skips on this chapter for...plot reasons ;)
> 
> I really hoped you guys enjoyed chapter 4!  
> Stay determined!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans does the irreversible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really really appreciate the comments you guys! enjoy chapter 5!

Sans has been keeping you distracted with his jokes while walking to the pub, he loved how expressive your face was whenever a joke had made you smile, laugh, rolled your eyes at him, and even groan in frustration. It was a nice walk too, having both arms linked together like this made him happy, and he’s not gonna openly admit it of course.

 

Once there, the two of you had entered, still arm in arm, he watched your face turn into wonder, eyes widening in glee, an excited smile on your face. So when you looked at him with this slight childish demeanor, he couldn’t help but gaze tenderly at you “What’s the occasion today?” you asked.

 

He looked around and noted the performers and the increased regulars in Grillby’s “Oh, it’s just Jazz Night.” he finally answered and gave you a wink.

 

Still arm in arm, Sans pulled you along with him from getting too distracted with the sight, the two of you walked up to the bar area where Grillby was busy taking orders and making drinks. “Heya, Grillbz.” Sans greeted the elemental. “Busy night tonight, eh?” 

 

The bar owner gave the skeleton a raised eyebrow, “And what about you? Gonna be busy tonight too?”

 

“Nah, S’not like that with me and (y/n).” the other shrugged at Grillby, giving him the nonchalant attitude. “‘Sides I still have work tomorrow.”

 

Lies. Of course, he wanted it to be busy night. In bed. With her. Squirming underneath him. Moaning his name with your voice--

 

_ Oh stars, keep it together. _

 

He hears you scoff at him “Pssh, this guy? Ha! Sans won’t last a night with me.” you jokingly said, words physically stabbing him in the chest, he could if he wanted to, but he’d rather you ride him--

 

“Oh, I bet I can.” replying with a smug look, dangerously lowering his tone at you.

 

“Yeah?” you challenged him, batting those pretty mischievous eyes at him “You look like you won’t last a  _ whole _ night.” you finished, grinning deviously.

 

“Are you guys seriously gonna go there?” Grillby commented with a laugh. “Go get a room, you two.”

 

“Nah.” 

 

“No thanks.”

 

He exchanged looks with you after you guys answered at the same time, then the two of you looked at each and roared with laughter.

 

He hears you sigh, Sans looks at  you “As much as I love to get myself drunk because of what happened.” he watches you looking at the where people were setting up last minute equipments on stage “I think it’ll be a waste to miss this.”

 

Sans nodded in agreement “This happens every friday.” he said and took off his suit jacket to reveal the ‘COOL DUDE’ t-shirt with a dull blue long-sleeved undershirt, it was pretty warm here in the pub, then walking off to go behind the counter to retrieve your belongings. 

 

When he was about to go back, he sees you about to go down your stool, so he raised a hand at you and you obediently stopped.

 

“Here.” handing your stuff over the moment he got to you and reclaiming the seat beside you again. “Told ya, I stashed it ‘ere.” he declared with the same smug look earlier.

 

“Oh, gee, thanks a bunch.” you sarcastically said with a smile and rolled your eyes at him.

 

“No problems, princess.” he replied with a grin and he leaned on his palm.

 

Then two drinks in blue liquid with floating limes and ice cubes in whiskey glasses appeared before you and Sans. “Baby Blues. On the house.” Grillby said before going back to attend another customer at the bar.

 

“That’s an adorable name for these drinks.” you commented and he observe you gazing at the drink with soft awe.

 

“Sounds lame to me, but hey, I’m not complaining on free drinks.” Sans shrugged and slowly drank from his drink.

 

“You’re not suppose to complain.” Grillby retaliated the skeleton’s words from the far left of the bar.

 

Sans grinned apologetically at the elemental while you giggled at their exchanged, the lights had dimmed and a host had appeared on the stage. Sans watched Mettaton walk confidently unto stage, the robot as usual has a thing for dramatics, even the clothes he’s wearing screamed drama. “Hello, darlings!” he shouts into the mic while  wildly waving his free hand to everyone in the bar “Sorry to keep all you beauties waiting! Let’s all applause for the beginning of this week’s Jazz Night!” 

Sans whistled along while you clapped your hands as loud as you could, the skeleton is just downright happy that you’ve been completely distracted from earlier events. “Mettaton sure knows how to stir up the crowd.” he says in a throaty laugh.

 

“Mettaton?” you asked in confusion. “The host?”

 

“Yeah, he’s a pretty big deal back in the underground.” the skeleton started to explain “He was the only idol, but now that we’re all here in the surface, he’s gotten even more popular to both humans and monsters.” pointing it out, Mettaton has always been on TV during the days in the underground, and the robot is still on tv and even in a few movies ever since moving to the surface.

 

“I can see why.” you say while nodding in agreement, the two of you watched Mettaton do various poses on stage “He knows how to charm the people. Better than you.” you glanced at him sideways and stuck out your tongue at him.

 

_ Oh bones, what is with you and provoking me like this? _

 

“Hey now, Princess.” closing his right eye and looking at you with a lidded left eye socket, magic pulsing through one eye “Careful with what ya wish for.” he sensuously said as a smirk slowly grew wide with a warning.

 

when the first group of people started playing, everyone in the pub had quiet down and enjoyed the music. “Wow, I… I didn’t know jazz would be this soothing.” you say while watching the group perform with admiration and taking a sip of your drink. “It’s just so...I don’t know how to explain it but-I love it.”

 

“Heh, pretty great for just relaxing around, right?” Sans nodded in agreement, when he first discovered jazz, it was how you felt. Jazz was something he would listen to while preparing for the next class or lesson plan, or just listen to it for relaxation. 

 

“My, oh my! Is this Sans, I see?!” Mettaton’s singsong robotic voice calls from the crowd ahead.

 

“Hey, Mettaton.” Sans greeted the new arrival with a raise of his drink. “Hosting Jazz Night again?” he asked with a sloppy grin.

 

The humanoid robot sauntered up to the two of you and gave the most charming smile he could show. “You know, I always do, darling. I could care less about my busy schedule just to be here.” he smugly replied, Sans watched him the moment he noticed you, Mettaton gave you a look over and placed a hand on your chin, lifting your face up to meet his, there was a hint of mischievousness in his eye. “And who is this beauty- Oh. Ohohohoho~” his sentence cut short, as if realizing something, he turned his robotic head to Sans and gave the cheekiest smile. “I see what this is~” 

Sans gave the robot a confused glare, has the robot noticed that he was with his soulmate?

 

_ Don’t say anything unnecessary.  _ He thought to himself, still glaring at Mettaton.

 

The robot returned his attention back to you, clearly not wanting to look at the skeleton for his glare “Baby doll, why don’t you introduce yourself? Hmm?” he softly cooed at you, gently releasing your face from his grasp. 

 

“I, uhm, I’m (Y/n) (L/n).” You stammered, Sans could clearly see that you were completely confused at what’s going on right now.

 

Mettaton gave out haughty laugh while covering his mouth with his hand. “I see! I see! So that’s how it is!” he proudly said, giving Sans another cheeky look, and the skeleton hated that whenever Mettaton was about to say something unnecessary. 

 

He notices you giving him a confused look, Sans could only shake his head and shrug at you.

 

“Our Sansy is on a date!” Mettaton loudly declared while pointing at you and him, clearly the robot was happy by what he deduced and giddily hopping at his declaration of the situation in front of him, the people nearest the three of you had turned their heads and gave you and Sans some thumbs up and others were smiles of approval. 

 

“W-what? No, no, no, that’s not how it is.” you stammered and felt your face heating up.

 

For a skeleton, temperatures didn’t matter, but right now? Sans could feel himself heat up and sweat, and forcing a grin only to end it being flat and trying to hold back from embarrassing himself even more. So when you looked at him, equally flushed, he had to look away.

 

“H-hey, wher-where’s the...b-b-bath...r-room?” he hears you ask in broken words, not even sure who were you asking this question, and it was clear enough to Sans that you were having a hard time talking.

 

“Hey, ya alright there, princess?” the skeleton asked out of concern now that he was done being embarrassed by earlier.

 

“F-fine…” you answered as you weakly raised your hand to stop him from coming down his seat, “bath-” you inhaled deeply “Bathroom? Where?” you simply asked, and Sans gestured to the backdoor that lead to the kitchen. He watches you weakly nod in thanks while you took your bag with you. 

 

Leaving your jacket on your stool so that no one else is gonna take it.

  
  


Keeping his eyes on you, Sans could see how much you’ve stumbled and tried to walk upright, and by the moment you got to the door. Instead of opening it with a hand, you used the side of your body instead, and when you miscalculated your reach for the door frame, you had already  fallen inside.

 

He wasn’t sure, but he had the urge to check up on you. 

 

Not before he gave Mettaton a warning glare, Metatton just took it with a nervous laugh and went to talk to Grillby about the latest events that's happening in the robot’s life.

 

Sans had got off his stool, evading people and monsters while walking and when he reached the kitchen entrance, he was about to push open the door- “Ah,  _ Fuck! _ ” he hears you yell from the other side. And he stopped halfway,instead of bursting inside the kitchen, he slightly pushed the door and peeked through.

 

He sees you struggling with a small pouch, and when you’ve had enough, you had thrown the poor thing on the floor. Still observing you, you had taken a seat against the wall, hugged your knees, and cried silently to yourself. He felt his soul hurt at this sight of you, just silently enduring things by yourself and not wanting help, and it hit him hard. Because looking at you reminded him of himself way back before the monsters came to the surface, he tried to call out to you but it felt like he would just be an annoyance. 

 

So he held back and continued to watch you from where he was.

 

"You’re a complete idiot…” he hears you whisper that to yourself. “Nine fucking years of being away from family, friends, and from Trey...of course, I should have expected things weren’t gonna be the same as before when I came back…” you continued and he watched you softly hitting the back of your head against the wall. “No wonder my letters weren’t being replied to as much as before and my telephone calls were declined…”

 

_ (Y/n)… _ he sadly thought to himself, still with his eyes on you.

 

There was a long pause from you “I guess, no matter the memories or how long you’ve been together, a person will change when they want to…” you softly said and scoffed to yourself. Sans listened in, and even he agreed to what you said, human or monster. If they wanted to change they could, not without consequences though.

 

Still watching you, you were now staring at the ceiling before sighing again “Humans are so greedy…” when he heard you say that, he couldn’t say for sure if what you said is what he would agree on, monsters can also be greedy but what made you say that you were so sure of it? Was a human’s greediness more scarier than those of a monster? Sans was about to walk away when the elemental had just walked up to him, he could feel that Grillby was gonna ask a question but the skeleton quickly hushed him with a finger to his bony face.

 

He motioned Grillby to peek through the small opening of the door.

 

Grillby saw you with your back to the door but the elemental could see you were struggling with something. So when Grillby had peeked half of his body through the door “Everything alright? You’re not stealing something in the kitchen, right?” he hears the other joke at you.

 

“Just got out of the bathroom and I forgot to take my meds.” you replied, 

 

_ Lies.  _

 

Sans can tell from how you lied effortlessly to Grillby, it signaled that you’ve done a lot of lying in your life just to not let other people be worried about you, sadly that’s how Sans is too. Not that he would willingly admit unless caught red-handed.

 

“Alright, take your time.”  the elemental replied in a soft voice.

 

This was a cue for both monsters to go back to where they were earlier, Grillby was silent the whole time, and when Sans had got back to his seat. That’s when the elemental looked at him “She...wasn’t stealing right?” voice uncertain.

 

Sans shook his head and gave him a chuckle “Nah, S’not like that at all…” he paused “She… well (Y/n), kinda... _ broke  _ down.” finally finishing the sentence, after finding the words to say to the elemental.

 

“...So something did happen?” Grillby inquisitively asked him with a raised flame brow.

 

“Yeah. Well.” Sans started, a bony hand rubbing the back of his neck. “She basically got home t’ ‘er boyfriend cheating on ‘er.” he explained, the elemental hummed, now wiping a washed glass. “Kinda witnessed it go down at the resto me and Paps and the two college kids were having dinner at.” he shrugged and took his drink into his free hand. “And they’ve practically broken up right then and there.” he said, swirling his drink, the cyan blue liquid lazily making circular motions against the glass.

 

“Is that also the reason why you left her stuff here and went back out to find her?” he asked again.

 

Sans nodded, not sure how he was gonna explain to Grillby about the conversation you and him had at the park earlier, hell, he wasn’t even sure if he should tell the other how broken you looked as your cried your heart out. Not to mention that the skeleton would have to talk with Grillby and the others regarding about your cracked soul and awakened magic. Then the  conversation between him and the pub owner had lapsed into a comfortable silence, the skeleton was just glad that the elemental knows when to stop prying, or when to lend a comfort ketchup bottle for Sans to get drunk on.

 

He felt a pull on his soul, this always happened whenever you were near, and your leaking magic made it easier for him to identify you despite the strong residual magic of other monsters.

 

“Hey.” you softly called out to him before reclaiming your seat. 

 

“Took you awhile?” he asked and looked up at you, he knew what  _ ‘took you awhile’ _ but still asked you out of concern.

 

“A lady needs her time.” you said and effortlessly shot him a wink.

 

_ Another lie. _

 

He noticed how your eyes seemed to be a slightly red and face is a bit puffy, Sans gave out a snort and shook his head at you, he didn’t like how easy you could lie like that but then again he knew  _ why.  _ Looking up from his drink, still swirling it around but slowly this time, he twisted his body for a bit to watch the new performers on stage, playing a jazz song that always gave him heartache despite being a catchy song.

 

But then he couldn’t help it, his eyes drifted back to you, the way you sat was relaxed but tired. The way you look so sorrowful while reaching for your drink, as if you could feel the pull on your soul when his called out, you looked at him with those tired but curious eyes. What’s more, you flushed under his gaze and that made him scoff at your reaction.

 

“S-something wrong with my face?” you stuttered, before timidly looking at him.

 

“Nah, Just wondering…” he simply answered, shrugging his shoulders at you, and that wasn’t a lie, he was indeed wondering why you were still this bouncy and cheerful person despite the hardships you went through.

 

_ Makes me wanna protect you, princess. _ He solemnly thought to himself 

 

He saw your face turning into a frown then you rolled your eyes at him “What? Falling for me?” you jokingly said to him.

 

Sans knew it was a joke, but the way you said it with conviction made his soul tremble. 

 

_ I’ve fallen for you since day one. _

 

He felt himself heating up, his magic going wild inside of him, and all the snarky words that he wants to tell you but can’t made it even more difficult for him to function properly right now. So he downed his drink in one go, feeling the magic buzz of the drink cooling down the ongoing rage inside, “What? Nah. who’re you kidding, princess?” he awkwardly laugh and tried to maintain his composure.

 

You laughed your heart out, it was the most genuine laugh you’ve made the whole night “Can’t you take a joke?”

 

He  _ can _ but he’d rather not joke around with something like feelings like you humans do.

 

Then silence, it wasn’t an awkward one, but it wasn’t comfortable either. So the two of you just keep watching the stage with the performers on stage, Mettaton was by the side getting ready for whatever the robot was gonna do, and you were still laughing to yourself.

 

“...I really can’t thank you enough, Sans.” you sincerely said out of the blue, finally able to calm yourself from your fit of laughing “And it’s...weird? How easily we kinda clicked.” you said metaphorically as you motioned your hands.

 

The other could only give you a blank look before he reached out to scratch the back of his skull, it was really out of the blue, and he didn’t know how to take sincere feelings into account, it was just...awkward for him, hence him awkwardly reacting to it. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t appreciate it, he truly does, and he’s grateful for it that his soulmate is this sincere to him. And he loves you even more for it, “‘S nothing really.” he distractedly say “Am just doing what I can.”

 

Watching you shrug and placing your attention back to the stage where the performers were now playing a different jazz song, he sees you smile and he couldn’t help but copy you and smile to himself.

 

Jazz night had ended with Mettaton doing a dramatic flare and even announcing about his newest series as usual, Sans was dragged into drinking with the others and you had joined him as well. But surprisingly to the skeleton, you hadn’t drank the night away, you copied his pace of drinking and took it slow.

 

Despite taking it slow, the skeleton and you stayed there until it was almost four in the morning, most of the regulars and performers had already left, it was only Sans, you, Grillby, and Mettaton. So you two had bid farewell the to the other two, grabbed each belongings and went on your way.

 

Halfway to your place was a quiet walk, and Sans didn’t mind, he enjoyed this moment of silence with you. Just the sounds of shoes walking on pavement, the occasional breeze, and the gentle tingling sensation of both your souls beating in unison. 

 

Sans notices you hugging yourself and pulling your jacket closer to you “It’s four in the fucking morning but why’s it so cold.” you said with teeth slightly chattering.

 

“It’s the only time where the surface gets to cool down, I guess.” he said with a shrug and laughing at your predicament all the while taking off his jacket  “Here.” calling out to you and draping his suit jacket over your shoulders “Use this.” he said with finality, so when you looked at him with surprise. Sans wasn’t sure if it was his eyes playing tricks on him, or the light, or the booze but your face was clearly redder than earlier.

 

_ Heh, cute. _

 

he returned your stare with a soft grin before looking away, burning the expression of your face into his memory.

 

Sans noticed your apartment slowly come into view, wishing that this walk could last for a bit more but he knew it wouldn’t “Welp, this is my stop.” you declared, pulling his jacket closer, silently observing you, Sans noticed you took a bit of your time “...It’s pretty late.” you finally said and he could tell.

 

“It  _ is _ almost morning.” he nodded in agreement, reaching a bony hand to the back of his skull and scratching it.

 

“Why don’t you come in?” you asked

 

Sans gave you a confused look, it wasn’t that he thought that you were inviting him to sleep together, it just that it hadn’t occurred to him that you were willing to let him in your home. And he  _ knows _ that you wouldn’t mind, but who would invite someone into their humble abode after a few days of acquainting each other? 

 

_ Like I’m one to talk, I literally had her sleep on the couch of my house.  _

 

“I mean, it’s like,  _ late _ late. And don’t you kinda live far away?” you try to explain.

 

Giving you a chuckle as he shook his skull at you “Nah, ‘s fine. I know a shortcut.” he winked. “Plus I have work tomorrow.”

 

And it was true, he had work on the weekends, tending to his hotdog stand at the open area of the park, this gives him some time away in dealing with thesis papers, lessons, and lecturing professors about his clothes for being unprofessional looking. 

 

_ Hey, if you’ve got the brains for it, fashion style doesn’t really matter. _

 

He sees you make a playful eye roll at him, he’d be lying if that didn’t do any soul fluttering shiver inside him. “Okay, big guy.” and that was his cue, without even giving you time to say goodbye, it might’ve been a bit rude. And he  _ must  _ admit, he did feel guilty with just leaving you hanging like that.

 

After teleporting himself to his room, Sans went up to his desk and pulled out a worn out leather-bound notebook. Looking through the notes he wrote in it, he hummed in thought.

 

_ Just one more day and my heat cycle ‘s gonna start. _

 

Sans has to be honest though, being a monster with a heat cycle can be annoying, plus being a boss monster can be twice as annoying. And having to find some kind of release or partner during that period is not something he can do when he’s busy with himself.

 

Sighing to himself and haphazardly taking his shoes off near the desk and struggling with the jeans while walking to his closet, opening it and just taking whatever clean basketball shorts thats on top, The skeleton wore it and decidingly just took off the t-shirt to reveal the dull blue sweatshirt and just keeping that on.

 

Remembering that he lent his jacket to you earlier, he sighed again, but this time it was a sigh of satisfaction.

 

The image of you with his jacket on was something that triggered his arousal, and just the thought of you seemed to quickened his heat, the connections with a soulmate can truly overrule every bodily routine his body has gotten used to. 

 

He’s been having more... _ breaks _ , and tonight was no exception. He couldn’t blame you for this, he could only blame himself and this heat, you were just  _ that irresistible _ since the moment he laid his eyes on you.

 

_ Oh bones, this is alarming. _

 

And it was true, it was alarming how much you could stir him up like this with just a day away from his heat cycle.

 

Shuffling to his bed and sitting on the edge “(y-y/n)” He huffed and reached down to touch the magic swelling in his shorts. His thoughts were going wild with you being in his jacket naked, with you squirming underneath him, in a second, Sans took out his thick cobalt cock out of his basketball shorts. He starts stroking lazily at first, slowly getting off to the fantasies that he conjured “F...fuck.” he stutters, moaning with inwardly. 

 

Now lying on his back and still stroking himself, he manages to keep himself quiet as to not wake up his brother, repeating your name in his skull like a mantra, he starts to masturbate faster. Then with a soft pull from his free hand over his chest, his soul came floating out, a white upside down heart intensely shining a soft blue shade over him, softly cupping it and rubbing his phalanges on it. Sans gasped at the pleasure it shot through his body, And when the thought of you holding his soul, touching and squeezing it with your dainty hands while you ride him, caused him to involuntarily moan. And as he imagine you mewling his name with your mouth open and tongue out while drooling on top of him- “ _ S-shiiiit- _ ” he came  _ hard _ and it was enough to make him growl in a beastly manner, his body shaking as he rides out the high of of sexual adrenaline. 

 

“...Well, fuck.” he finally muttered, as he eyed the ceiling of his room, the remnants of his earlier escapade was stuck  _ on the ceiling _ just above his bed, gooey magic quickly becoming dry and hardening in contact with the air. Sans wouldn’t believe it, he’s had multiple orgasm that actually made him shoot cum far enough but  _ not that far _ . 

 

Weakly laughing to himself as he pulled his shorts back up when the swelled magic disappeared. The skeleton sighed contently, it wasn’t right for him to jerk off to you just like that, and that made him slightly guilty. 

 

“Sorry, princess.” he groaned an apology and rolled to his side, sleep quickly enveloping him.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sans woke up with a start when his phone suddenly pinged, groaning in annoyance as he reached for his phone underneath his pillow, a pat here and a pat there, nothing. Slowly getting up in slight frustration, he agonizingly moved himself to the edge of his bed and found his phone on the floor, pinging nonstop with messages. 

 

Focusing his magic on his phone and letting it float leisurely into his bony hand, he exhaled deeply before squinting at the screen. “...Huh.” he hummed as he saw the name of the sender

 

**college kid josh:**

ARE U FREE LATER?

 

**Sans:**

Depends on wat ur planning kid.

 

**college kid josh:**

Gon b celebrating my sis’s homecoming

At d open area lol

Where u work at lol

So u can have ur eyes on her all d time lol

 

And that's what got the skeleton wide awake now, Sans reread the messages over and over, was it that obvious? Is it possible for humans to tell? No, no, no, monsters were the only ones who can see or view a soul and their soul links and bonds, with the exception for frisk.

 

_ A’right, calm down. _

 

He calmed himself, and took his time to reply to the college kid.

 

**Sans:**

Well, some1’s EYEing for a spot for failure

 

**college kid josh:**

HEY COME ON I WAS JKING

UR SRSLY GONNA FAIL A GRAD STUDENT

 

Sans laughed to himself, feeling triumphant and somewhat guilty for joking around to fail a diligent student like Josh. 

 

_ Kid’s got quite the head on his shoulders. _

 

**Sans:**

Nah 

U know me kid, I’d rather c my students graduate.

Wat time l8r tho.

 

**college kid josh:**

Aftr lunch

Usual picnic table infront of ur stand.

 

**Sans:**

Cools

 

The skeleton sighed and sat up, taking one more look at his phone to check the time “8:40…” his brother would be up by then, probably already preparing breakfast. Sans shrugged, he could just shortcut anytime, scrolling through monstergram and monsterbook for a few minutes before decidingly going down to meet Papyrus. As he descended down the flight of stairs and he hears the tv on and some laughter going on, placing both hands in his short pockets, he saw Frisk and MK lounging at the couch; both were eating pancakes.

 

“Hey, kiddos.” Sans sluggishly greeted as he passed by in front of them.

 

The two mumbled mornings at the skeleton, faces full of the fluffy cake as they continued to watch what was on TV. “SANS!” his brother called out from the kitchen “BREAKFAST IS- YOU ARE AWAKE!” Papyrus squints at him, expression full of doubt “IT IS A MIRACLE THAT YOU HAVE WOKEN UP AT THIS TIME.”

 

“Come on, Paps.” he paused “...I gotta stay  _ woke _ .” he joked using a modern slang he gained from his students.

 

“...please, brother. That wasn’t even funny.” he deadpanned, not using his usual loud voice, before serving some pancakes to the other on the table.

 

“Heh, I tried.” Sans shrugged and sat down, reaching for the bottle of ketchup on the table and squeezing a hefty amount on them.

 

The taller skeleton had sat down and his expression contorted to pure horror and disgust. 

 

Sans could only snicker at him as he ate the pancakes with a satisfied grin, Papyrus sighed and ate his share of pancakes “SO WHAT HAPPENED?” he asked, clearly talking about last night “WERE YOU ABLE TO FIND HER?” The shorter skeleton chewed slowly, biding his time on how to explain everything to his brother “Yeah, had a few drinks at Grillby’s and even enjoyed Jazz Night.” he started but lapsed into a long silence.

 

“...DID SOMETHING ELSE HAPPEN?” his brother asked when he noticed the other’s demeanor changed.

 

“...Say, Paps.” Sans called out, his brother’s attention to him “Remember how I taught you about souls and why we can see them with or without an encounter?” 

 

“OF COURSE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS NEVER FORGETS!” his brother proudly claimed.

 

Sans softly chuckled at his brother’s dramatic pose “Well then, do you remember what happens to a soul that’s cracking?” he asked, an expression both serious and soft at the same time.

 

“WELL...IF THE SOUL OF A MONSTER STARTS TO SHOW CRACKS, THEY SLOWLY DESCEND INTO MADNESS.” Papyrus promptly answered.

 

“Correct, what triggers the cracks then?” the shorter skeleton asked again.

 

“CRACKS THAT APPEARS ON THE SOUL TEND TO BE CAUSED BY AN EMOTIONAL TRAUMA THAT AFFECTS THE MONSTER’S MENTAL STATE.” he answered, Sans could see in his brother’s face that confusion was slowly making its way up to his face. “WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME THIS--” then as if a light bulb went out, Papyrus’s face turned into shock, completely rendered speechless to the conclusion he came unto.

 

Sans nodded in confirmation “Humans are as fragile as monsters, our souls are completely different yet we suffer the same effects or consequences.” he said out loud “It’s even worse for a human who hasn’t studied a lick of magic, so the effects of a cracked soul is more riskier as time passes by.”

 

“BUT WHAT COULD POSSIBLY HURT (Y/N) TO THE POINT OF HAVING CRACKS ON HER SOUL?” Papyrus asked, utterly confused at this point ,it’s completely understandable and unavoidable on his brother’s part.

 

“Humans with the kindness soul tend to be more fragile than other souls and they suffer more because of the cruelty of reality…they’re too  _ soft and caring _ . Which makes them give off the energy of  _ ‘have to or will help’  _ not  _ ‘need or want to help’ _ , and lotsa people will take advantage of that.” Sans answered, emphasizing a lot of words while he ran his bony hand along the top of his skull until the back “They’re driven with that energy to the point of breaking themselves, and they don’t even realize that.” he said with finality, remembering the dream he had about your memories as it flooded into him that day “I couldn’t notice before but being her soulmate, things have...gone out of hand.” he said clasping both hands on table’s edge, trying to explain what’s going on “The night I brought her here, her memories flooded into me...bits and pieces which had a strong link with her soul.”

 

“BUT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE, YOU WOULD HAVE TO PERFORM A SOUL BOND FOR THAT TO HAPPEN!” the other expressed in shock.

 

“The thing is, Paps...” Sans sighed “Dormant magic inside her  _ awakened  _ to  _ heal her soul _ . That’s the thing that should be impossible.” the older brother pointed out, and it was true, you don’t know how to  _ use  _ magic, much less  _ be  _ knowledgeable about it, but it completely baffled him. How was your body able to unconsciously summon the sleeping magical energy inside you to repair your soul?

 

Sans sighed heavily, this early and already drained of energy.

 

Papyrus could only wallow in silence, trying to process this new bit of information about his brother’s soulmate “...THEN WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE HUMAN IF LEFT UNTREATED?”

 

“I wish I knew the answer, bro...” he honestly replied, he really did wish he knew the answer, but there is  _ one  _ magic that might heal you, and that will all depend on you in the end. “‘Nough of this, how ‘bout we all go to the open area later and celebrate, yeah?” he said, trying to change the subject and lighten up the mood. “S’ gonna be (y/n)’s homecoming party.”

 

“A PARTY?!” Papyrus happily exclaimed, almost bellowing with his loud voice like there’s no tomorrow. “I MUST COOK MY SIGNATURE SPAGHETTI THEN!” he excitedly said and immediately scrambled to the stove and cabinets.

 

“Did someone say party?” Frisk’s voice came within ‘earshot’, holding both their and MK’s plate as they strut to the kitchen sink to place the items there.

 

“Come on, kid.” Sans teased “You ask as if you haven’t gone to any uni parties.”

 

Frisk giggled, washing the dishes while they were at it “Too busy with my thesis work.”

 

“You and Josh are basically the same batch, gotta out and have some fun sometimes.” Sans jokingly scolded, he knew what the kid was working on, theories how magic can affect the human soul through emotions and feelings. Something they’ve been working on for awhile now after gaining access to Sans’ and his dad’s notes, books, and theories.

 

_ Lotsa kids going places these days. _

 

“Welp, I guess I’ll just have to go prep for work now.” Sans said and stood up from his chair and lazily walking to his room to change into his usual clothes and stashing his pills into his jacket pocket, leaving his room to go to the bathroom to brush his teeth, his phone pinged. Tapping on the home button of his phone with his free hand, he eyes the notification shown on the screen.

 

**college kid josh:**

Picking up d lyf of d party. 

**college kid josh has sent you an attachment.**

 

Still brushing his teeth, the skeleton typed in his password and popped open the messenger, the kid had sent him a candid shot of you sitting cozily on the floor as you sort out an assortment of pictures in your most comfortable house wear, Sans choked on the toothpaste foaming around his mandible and maxilla. Quickly spitting it out and gargling with water, he reached out for the small hand towel hanging on the side of the sink, and used it to wipe his face before looking at his phone properly. “Heh.” he scoffed to himself, the look of you being this unguarded made him think that maybe, just maybe, not everything is too late. There’s still a chance that the cracks on your soul will just completely heal after the dormant magic in you has drained itself into repairing everything your soul suffered from, but there’s still gonna be a slight chance that something will disrupt inside of you. Sans frowned to himself and took one last good look at your picture, why did you have to be this attractive? This beautiful? This captivating woman who is his soulmate? 

 

Everything about you just made him ache, both in soul and down south. 

 

_ Alright, bonehead. Time to get serious. _

 

He scolded himself before walking through the bathroom’s door and shortcutting to his hotdog stand. 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The moment he got there, a short line was already forming, it was the usual monster kids and the occasional human kid that buys the hotdogs he sells, after thanking him and leaving him to himself. Sans leaned his mandible on the bony palm of his hand, he observed the area in front of him, children of both species ran around and played together as parents or relatives watched over them. There were also some couples going around, ordering from the available stands, a few talking and eating at the picnic tables, then he saw a monster and human couple.

It was Grillby’s daughter Fuku and her human boyfriend.

 

Sans hummed to himself, wondering how the elemental pub owner reacted to this revelation. Then his thoughts wandered to him and you, if the two of you became a couple and you accepted him for who and what he is, the skeleton can now dust in peace. Maybe not now, some monsters and humans still need him.

 

Sighing away these sudden thoughts, he spots Bertha and the kids walking up to the usual picnic table in front of his stall, he watched them with a lazy expression as they settled down a cloth linen on top of the table before arranging the stuff and food they’ve brought. One of the kids, Penelope, noticed him and waved her hand at him, with Brendan and Lucy joining in.

 

He returned the gesture with a casual one of his own while grinning. 

 

_ Might as well prepare the ‘dogs. _

 

He thought to himself and started to prepare at least ten or more, before Papyrus, Frisk, and MK came into view, his brother dramatically holding the large bowl of spaghetti he made. Sans took the plate of monster food and walked toward the picnic table “Heya.”

 

“I SEE YOU’VE BROUGHT YOUR SPECIALTY, BROTHER!” Papyrus said, taking one look at the plate he brought.

 

“I could make burgers but I didn’t have the ingredients at hand.” he replied before placing the hotdogs beside the spaghetti the other skeleton brought. “Didn’t make anything kid?” he asked Frisk.

 

“I was gonna make mom’s butterscotch-cinnamon pie,” he shrugged at the skeleton “had no ingredients available, plus I forgot the recipe.” they sheepishly grinned.

 

“Yo! We should’ve gone to the grocery store earlier then!” MK chimed in.

 

Frisk shook their head at their monster companion. “It’s fine, we didn’t know about the party anyways.” they said as they reassured the armless monster. MK shrugged and just went about his business, Frisk and his brother was already talking about something related to magic, and Sans can’t be bothered by it when Bertha had finally noticed him.

 

“My, oh my! Look what we have here!” she called out and briefly hugged the skeleton, having used to the hug, Sans couldn’t help but still tense up whenever coming into contact with someone. “I heard from Josh that you and (y/n) are quite close these days!” she happily claimed at that.

 

Sans could only chuckle “Well, whaddya say? I’m quite charming.” he grinned.

 

Bertha laughed and shook her head “I can see why, it’s great that she has someone like you as a friend.” then she sneered, Sans noticed that, whatever she was gonna say was going to be unpleasant “Unlike that ex-fiance of hers.” she spat at the ground, as if her words held something nasty to it. “Poor girl was gonna get married to him. And here I thought that Trey was gonna wait for (y/n),  I’m glad they broke it off.” she rambled on and yet Sans was hung up on the word  _ married. _

 

You were gonna get married, but it was ruined by your ex. And Sans was guiltily relieved that the two of you didn’t end up tying the knot, if you hadn’t known about the affair and continued being with that jerk, you’d break even more. Sans awkwardly laughed “Where’d you hear that from?”

 

“Oh, the two boys told me about it.” she waved a hand “I never liked Trey, ever since they got together, I just had a hunch about him and it came true. Shame on him.”

 

_ Two boys? Oh, Josh and Keith. _

 

Sans didn’t know how to go along with this conversation but he agreed to what the old woman was saying.

 

“(Y/n) is...stubborn just like her parents, she gives many chances and drops everything just to help, yet she doesn’t give herself a chance.” Bertha continued to talk, not looking at Sans anymore, she was looking at the kids that were playing near the play area “She may look like she’s got everything under control so that me and Josh won’t have to worry, so we say nothing and turn a blind eye despite knowing that she’s battling a force inside her.” she gave Sans the look a mother would whenever she worries for her child. “That child has given up so many times but she still continues to help others...she’s that selfless.”

 

“I know…” Sans muttered, knowing fully well what Bertha has been trying to convey to him about you and your state. 

 

“Even though the two of you are just friends, I don’t think I’ll worry my head off if you two got together.” she said with absoluteness and gave him a warm smile before patting him on the shoulder and walking away to attend to one of the kids that called her.

 

Sans turned into a deep shade of blue, Bertha had given him her blessing of acknowledgement, and earning a blessing from a family member of someone or somemonster you would want to have a soulbond with is a serious thing for monsters. “Progressing this fast isn’t good for me and my bones.” he muttered and tried to calm the magic in him.

 

When he turned to fetch something from his stall, he noticed his brother, Frisk and MK giving him smug grins.

 

“CONGRATULATIONS BROTHER!” Papyrus bellowed “SEE?! YOU DESERVE TO BE HAPPY!”

 

“Yo man! Congrats!” MK chimed in.

 

Frisk nodded, A devious grin on their face “I hear wedding bells.” they said and wiggled their eyebrows at the short skeleton.

 

Sans groaned with a grin on his face, thoroughly embarrassed that they’ve heard and watched the whole thing unfold “Not a word to (y/n).” he warned before walking off to retrieve bottles of ketchup.

 

A few more minutes had gone by before everything seemed to be busy and just when he got back, everyone had started to stand along one side of the picnic table, Sans had stood beside MK just in time when Josh and Keith showed up with you in tow.

 

“WELCOME HOME!”

 

They all yelled, Sans could see the shock, amazement, and how speechless you were, while the other two clung to your shoulders, wildly shaking you as they grin at each at the success of the surprise. “Wow, what...what is happening?” you asked out loud. 

 

“A proper celebration for you, dummy!” Josh screams into your ear while hugging you.

 

Sans scoffed at the sight of you trying to get away from your brother and his screeching. Then dragging you to the picnic table and forcing you to sit down, the moment he saw you laid eyes on the food, he could tell you’ve been starving to eat when he noticed you’ve almost drooled. The skeleton snickered to himself and coughed, you noticed him and you gave him the sheepish grin he always finds adorable. “Heh, well-” he shrugged at your direction “Someone’s already drooling.” winking at you.

 

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS AGREES! LET US ALL EAT!” Papyrus said in his loud voice, initiating the others to start eating.

 

The shorter skeleton couldn’t help but watch you while he ate some of the hotdogs and a bit of spaghetti, he watched you help out the kids by passing unreachable food to them. You acted more like a mother than a big sister, he saw how your face softened into affection as you gazed at them. He might be bias just because you were his soulmate, but everything about you seemed...blooming, and he loved it. 

 

And one could mistake you for not being broken, heck Sans did, when he first saw you at the pub.

 

The food was almost gone by the time Sans had been going off with his jokes “A'right, last one, I promise.” he snickered as he saw you bite your lower lip, trying hard not to laugh when the joke hasn’t been said yet. Josh and Keith groaned out loud, followed by Papyrus and Bertha heavily sighing and Frisk and MK just stopped functioning altogether. “What did the hot dog say when his friend passed him in the race?” he asked, eyeing for your reaction.

 

You inhaled through your teeth and tried to calm yourself “W-what?”

 

Sans gave his widest grin when you replied “Wow, I  _ relish  _ the fact that you’ve  _ mustard  _ the strength to  _ ketchup _ to me.” he waited and-

 

Without missing a beat, he watched it all happen, your face breaking into multiple expression, biting down on your tongue when you try to laugh, your nose wrinkling with a strained smile, and then you lost it. Your laugh was contagious, even Sans found himself laughing along.

 

“This… this is _egg_ xactly why I hate you-” You wheezed, trying to control yourself “-You keep _cracking_ me up like this I won’t have the _thyme_ to recover when you’re _berry_ ing funny!” you laughed even more at your own puns “Look at what you made me _dew_!”

 

The skeleton couldn’t believe it, you were actually joining in “That was the  _ wurst _ acussation I’ve ever heard from you, you’re  _ bacon  _ my heart ‘ere, princess. Puns are supposed to make ends  _ meat _ .” he snorted and burst into laughter alongside with you. 

 

“Yup. nope. I am out.” Josh declared, standing up and having had enough of this.

 

“Mood.” Keith said, quickly following his boyfriend.

 

When the two had left, it was just him, you, Papyrus, Frisk, MK, and Bertha. All of you decidingly started to clean, you had the non disposables and went to the outdoor sink. Sans was holding the garbage bag while Papyrus threw in whatever needed to be thrown, while the old woman started packing away leftovers, Frisk and MK had taken another dirty batch of non disposables to you. The skeleton watched the three of you interact, and apparently his two buddies came back carrying a clean batch of dishes and went on to the table to give it to Bertha.

 

Sans had tied the open end of the garbage bag and walked towards your direction, he noticed how you watched them and then your eyes settled on him “Taking out the trash?” you asked him while smirking.

 

“Nah, would rather take  _ you  _ out.” he countered and did a finger gun while he walked behind the outdoor sink to place the trash bag inside one of the outdoor wheeled trash bins. 

 

There was a slight tense silence before Sans looked up and saw you completely red as a tomato.

 

“You’re such a numbskull.” you said while he watched you power walk away in embarrassment, carrying the last clean batch of non disposables.

 

Sans snickered to himself, trying to hide his own embarrassment with his laugh, why did he have to bring out a punchline like that? It wasn’t that he knew you would like it or anything, it was just that the opportunity presented itself and he took it. He rubbed his face with his jacket sleeve, wiping away a bit of the sweat he had for anxiously doing that, but he’s already done it and now he’s just gotta roll with it.

 

The moment he got back, he noticed Frisk glaring at him before everyone looked over to him “What?”he shrugged while giving you his signature smirk “I didn’t do anything.” 

 

When the kids had ran up to you and calling out to you. “Hey, guys.” you looked at them in confusion “Now what’re you up to this time?” he heard you ask them.

 

“Play with us!”

 

“Yeah (y/n)! You haven’t played with us for a long time!”

 

“Come on! Come on!” 

 

“You’re it! So we have to run away from you!”

 

He also saw you jerk your head back at their play style “Really? Without setting any rules?” you asked, face scrunching up in confusion  “Why not Josh? Or Keith?”

 

“They’re no fun!”

 

“Those two just wants to run away and not be IT!”

 

You laughed “Why not them?” you nodded your head over Sans and his group.

 

“No! Sans would use magic!”

 

“Papyrus is too fast!”

 

“Frisk runs fast too!”

 

“MK tends to fall down a lot and we don’t want to see him hurt himself chasing us.”

 

Sans laughed at how honest the kids were, and to be honest he’d rather be napping around than run, it was rather funny how you couldn’t turn them down, but he could understand the children’s excitement when it came to you.

 

You were starting the countdown, Sans grinned wider, this’ll be the first time he’ll see you being this active, and for some reason it hype him up “CAPTURE THE TINY HUMANS, HUMAN!” his brother yelled

 

“You can do it!” Frisk and MK chimed in.

 

“Heh, break a leg, princess.” Sans joined in with the same grin he had earlier.

 

Sans saw everything unfold, you ran after your brother only to be dodged not once but twice, so you gave up and ran after one of the kids. And when you did tag them, he saw how you took a few seconds for yourself and Josh was just right beside you, talking about something, he watch how you bent over and accidentally showing your cleavage. Sans coughed into his hand and tried to look away, and then Josh started running again and he noticed Keith running right up to you two, you dodged just in time by rolling to the side, Sans and the other yelled and cheered for the new 'it'. Keith was hot on Josh’s heel, and when he tackled the other, the skeleton couldn’t help but grin so wide that it felt like his face was gonna break, the two tumbled on the grass before shooting themselves off to the side of the small pond.

 

You ran after them and helped them up and that ended the chase with all three of you coming back to the picnic table.

 

“Nice tackle there, kid.” Sans commented the moment the three of you showed up. “That was a great scene to see.” he grinned and chuckled deeply.

 

“YOU TWO SHOULD DRY YOURSELVES!” Papyrus piped in and pulled some towels out of nowhere. 

 

Sans could see you were gonna question where those came from but decided against it. He scoffed and just shook his head.

 

_ Curiosity knows no bounds but it’s best to limit it. _

 

Josh and Keith wrapped themselves with the towels and the kids had already gone back here and started to fool around with the old lady, Frisk, and MK.

 

“Time for the next game!”

 

“Blindfold game! Blindfold game!”

 

“Come on, Come on, you two join as well!” 

 

Penelope and Brendan had also pulled Sans and his brother along for the game.

 

Everyone had positioned themselves into an open circle, leaving a meter of space in between. Sans stood beside his brother while the others spread out right beside Papyrus. Sans saw Frisk and MK bring you to the center, they had you positioned there with MK leaving and going to his spot of the circle, it was only you and Frisk left. They had placed an eye mask over you and started to spin you, Sans chortled to himself as you spun around, relying on the other’s guidance, and when they stopped you from spinning. He could tell you were already dizzy enough when you tried to find your balance.

 

“I’m so f--dizzy r-right now.” you awkwardly laugh, stumbling a bit.

 

Sans could see that everyone waited in anticipation, fear and excitement laced their faces as you went around following your brother’s instructions, even _he_ was feeling giddy. Sans watched you struggle at first but then when you reached out to Penelope, you had guessed her as easily as running your hand through her hair. Then Brendan came up next as you accidentally karate chopped the poor kid on the head, you got to work immediately after apologizing and “scanning” his face with your hands and guessed correctly again. The next thing happened was when you were trying to reach out for little Lucy. and instead of being careful Josh had told you to move backward, Sans made an oof sound while his face scrunched up in both worry and shock, you practically trapped the poor kid under you. He saw how you immediately got off her and even though your eyes were covered, he saw how your face shifted to relief for a second then go back to guessing Lucy.

 

With the kids out, it was only him, his brother, Frisk, MK, and the old woman.

 

Following Josh’s instructions again, you reached out and guessed for the monster kid, when that was out, you guessed Frisk next by judging the tone of their voice which surprised Sans. And he thought he was the only one who noticed the uniqueness of the kid’s voice.

 

The next thing was pretty amusing to say, He heard Josh telling you to run, and you were right in front of Papyrus to do that. You hesitated at first but then he saw you run and tackle his brother to the ground as he tried to catch you before you could hurt yourself or himself. It’s safe to say that despite hesitating before it doesn’t mean you won’t try it, Sans chuckled to himself “Nice catch, bro.” he winked at his brother, and Papyrus returned a wink of his own.

 

While he was a bit distracted, Sans saw how you happily jumped as you hugged the older woman, it really is amusing to see this side of you, how you smile with triumph at an accomplishment just by guessing the people you caught and squealing in glee.

 

When it was his turn, he expected to just stay in place and let you do your thing as you followed your brother’s instructions.

 

But then- “Okay, Sans is the only one left.” Josh said out loud, Sans felt there was gonna be some kind of twist to this. “This time, I won’t instruct you on where he is, what you’re gonna do is move around and try as much as possible to catch him!” he explained to you. “And go!”

 

“Oh, god.” he heard you mumble in uncertainty and anticipation.

 

_ Ah, well. Might as well have some fun. _

 

He thought to himself, and Sans gave an all knowing smirk to your blindfolded self. It wasn’t the first time people had seen him do magic, even if it was for fun, it’ll end up exhausting him if he did it way too many times. So he took his time, waiting for you to move around for a bit before you had walked forward to his direction, and as silent as he could be, he sidestepped and stood behind you. “Over here, princess.” he whispered, seeing the hair on the back of your neck rise. And when you turn around to face him, he took two steps back before he saw you stumbling into the space he was in before. Then he felt a pull on his soul and at the same time his soul resonating with the action of the two trying to “find” each other in this game.

 

_ Oh come on now, don’t give me away. _

 

He groaned inwardly at his soul. He saw you inching a bit to him, reaching both left arm and legs towards him, he teleported in front of you and caressed your cheek with his knuckles and as he was about to land his feet, he had to teleport away again when he saw you crouch and slide your left leg in a circular motion. 

 

If he hadn’t noticed that, he would have fallen on his back and you would have already caught him, and that would be game over.

 

Landing behind you, he tapped your shoulder and when you turned around and shot your hand out, your touch grazed him just by his collarbone as he took a millisecond late to step back. Then his soul made another pull, giving away his position, trying to get his bearings right but before he could. He spotted you as you were about to tackle him, he couldn’t teleport in time and he just let out a defeated grin.

 

_ Ah, bones. Might as well let you win. _

 

He groaned in pain as he felt the full weight of you on top of him then letting out a defeated laugh “What a way to catch me, (y/n).” Sans said in a very low tone that accidentally came out seductive.

 

“Yeah, well.” you said as you took off the eye mask “You’re quite the slippery one.”

 

His snarky reply vanished when he felt what was your lips on his bony ones. It took all of his willpower not to go into heat frenzy.

 

Every second that passed without you backing away, it slowly chipped away at his patience, and when you finally did. Sans felt his reasoning and logic inside him slowly crumble and giving into the instincts of his heat, with one hand on the back of your neck and pulling you closer, he deepened the kiss. With lidded eyes, he watched your face for some reaction, letting his magic form his tongue, he prodded your lower lips with it; thinking that would somehow make you jump away from him before he could completely snap.

 

But you didn’t, instead you shut your eyes with your lips slightly parting itself, giving him complete entry to your mouth. Sans felt a shiver run through his spine and his soul vibrated with magic inside him, he snapped. With a growl leaving him, he pulled you into a heated kiss, his tongue exploring  your mouth before dominating your tongue while holding you in place, in his arms. 

 

And when he heard you moan, he took it all in, the way your tongue seemed to fight back, the way you struggled by trying not to bite his tongue, and the way your lips quivered. 

 

Both your soul and his resonated together, both reaching out to each other and reacting to this passionate kissed the two of you shared, and that’s when he halted before a soulbond could be performed without your consent--

 

_ FFFFFUUUUUUUCK... _

 

Sans realized what he’s done, he looked down at you, face a complete mess and laced with arousal and fear, he’s done it. He’s done something irreversible and could potentially make you not want him as your soulmate, feeling his magic surge in his left eye socket, you were about to call out to him when he roughly pulled you away from him and thrown you to his brother. To which he surely knows that Papyrus will catch you, “SANS--” his brother called out to him but he had already teleported away and landed harshly on top of his bed.

 

_ Shitshitshitshitshitshit.  _

 

Fuck tomorrow, his heat cycle was progressing fast because of the unexpected kiss that he did to you, then there was his magic growing crazy that clouded his judgement and self-control, he can feel the build up near his pelvic bones.

 

“Damn it, tonight’s gonna be a long night.” he muttered and guiltily started on his sexual routine during his heat cycle, with you in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~ writing a slowburn and vanilla kind of fanfic is literally trying all of my willpower to add in a heavy smut filled chapter. I'm not good with these types of fanfics, and tbh with myself, I'd rather jump right into squeezing the lemon and lime into my readers' eyes. ;)
> 
> But I'm still having fun writing them tho. so don't worry I wont discontinue this but my updates will be getting slower because of personal stuff(and if I don't get sidetracked in writing another fanfic).


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You visit someone special today, while Sans realizes something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! A new chapter! enjoy!
> 
> Psst! Psst! I've got something to say at the end of this chapter! be sure to read it!

Two weeks and counting, time had passed by without any news from Sans, you gathered the courage to ask Josh and Keith if the skeleton was alright, and the two would assure you that he’s at their uni, teaching and making lame jokes as usual, except for the fact that he would dismiss class early.

 

And from time to time, you’d bump into Papyrus and Frisk while grocery shopping in a monster friendly convenience store, they too, would also assure you that Sans is doing fine and just needs time.

 

You sighed heavily, it was understandable, no matter how friendly the skeleton may be to you. There’s always the doubt that _that_ kiss was just some kind of fluke. You felt a sharp pain on your chest then it was suddenly gone as it suddenly came, rubbing the space above your cleavage, you let out a shuddering sigh. This chest pain has been there for days, it was more...chest than heart pain, and you don’t even know how to explain this to your doctor whenever it’s time for your scheduled appointment regarding about your broken heart syndrome.

 

And after the appointment today, you’d thought, why not stay somewhere to distract yourself? Go and try out that cute monster cafe you saw on your first day back home, hell, get a cup of joe and even relax with a plate of the shop’s pastry, go through the newspaper’s job seeking page so you have something to do now that you’re out of the army. But here you are, stupidly drinking coffee and now you have the jitters and your anxiety just fucking spiked up. So instead of relaxing the day away with a cup of coffee on a table outside the cafe and admiring the surroundings, you decided maybe sitting your ass down wasn’t a good idea once you’ve had coffee in your system, plus it kinda _is_ a bad thing for your heart. Way to go, you!

 

Sighing heavily, you decided that today wasn’t a good day to mope around about yourself, since today was _his_ day. And you didn’t want to waste any more time, so you got up, stuffed your phone and wallet into your jacket pocket and went on your way.

 

You really didn’t want to keep that guy waiting.

 

You debated whether to take out your motorbike for a run going to him but you immediately shook off the idea, you just had a long road time together with your bike yesterday. So you shrugged it off and walked, alone with your thoughts and this aching chest, spending time with him today would prolly cheer you up, given the last time you saw him was five years ago.

 

_Man, time flies so fast._

 

You passed by a flower shop, it was the same flower shop that you remembered when you were little, walking in, the floral smell of the shop hit your nose as you looked around and admired the neatly arranged flowers. There were carnations, the classic roses in variety of colors, orchids hanging from the ceiling, and other kinds of flowers. “Howdy! Got an eye for something? Perhaps this beautiful batch of white lilies! The perfect flowers for an elegant tea party decorations.” the deep voice of a towering goat monster with blonde hair, wearing a pink Hawaiian shirt and denim shorts loomed over you.

 

You wrinkle your face in confusion “Oh. uh. Not to be rude but, where’s the owner of this place?”

 

“Why, I am the owner.” he blinked and gave you a knowing smile “But if you meant the old woman who ran this place, she has retired long ago and gave this delicate place to me.” he answered in seriousness but still without forgetting to smile.

 

“Mrs. Roberts retired huh.” you nodded your head “She usually has a bouquet ready for me for today.” you tapped your chin, pondering what you should do about this.

 

he hummed and stroked his beard in thought “...Perhaps you meant this?” he finally said as the tall goat monster went behind the counter and pulled out a neatly made bouquet, it had the flowers that were _his_ favorite. He walked back out and gave it to you “The nice old woman came by earlier and prepared it,” he explained and handed it out to you “I think this has to be given to you?” he asked as the goat monster gave you a timid smile “As I assume that this is what you were looking for?” You chuckled to yourself as you accepted the flowers, and you noticed the small note attached to the string the held the bundle together, expertly holding the flowers with one hand and opening the note with the other. You read what was written inside.

 

**_“Dear (y/n), I’ve heard you came to town a few weeks ago, and I’ve decided to do this last bouquet for today’s occasion with my own hands before passing the instructions down to Mr. Asgore. I hope to see you soon dear. - Mrs. Roberts”_ **

 

You smiled to yourself, it’s been nine years and the old woman hasn’t forgotten to wrap a bouquet for him whenever today’s date had come up,you made a mental note to visit her when you have the time, but then you looked up at the other and the name ‘Asgore’ seemed to play around with your head “are you...Mr. Asgore, by any chance?” you asked.

 

“Why, yes. King of Monsters, King _-ahem-_ Mr. Asgore.” He gave you a polite bow before standing tall again. “Now the owner of this flower shop.” he childishly grinned.

 

You panicked, you didn’t mean to meet the king of monsters like this “O-oh uh, heh, I didn’t know, shit sorry, I really didn’t mean to offend you like this.” you explained.

 

“No worries there,” He laughed, letting out playful deep notes “I’d rather humans and monsters see me like this than having to be all high and mighty.”

 

You let out a timid laugh yourself before composing yourself, to think the king of monsters would be a chill guy “Thanks for keeping these flowers for me King-- _Mr._ Asgore.”

“Not a problem! I hope the person who will receive them will become happy!”

 

You gave him a faint smile before parting ways with the new flower shop owner “I’ll see you around!” you said as you waved at him as you walked for the door.

 

Once outside, you look at the flowers once again “He will definitely be happy when he sees these.” you mumbled to yourself as you went your way to the bus station, hoping Josh would be there once you arrived.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

There weren’t much available seats in the bus when you got inside, it was packed with both humans and monsters, you never knew what they did or where they would go, so you hoped for every single one of them to have a good day ahead, despite yours being not.

 

For all that, another tug on your chest made you look over to the back seat area, sadly you couldn’t see much of the backseat, most of the passengers were standing and blocking your view of it. yet weirdly enough, you had this nagging feeling of needing to check that area, but you were rooted to your spot due to the fact that the bus was filled. Then you saw Josh’s university, the bus had stopped for a moment, and you had to wonder why no one moved or excused themselves to get off the bus. And after a few more seconds of waiting, the bus driver had closed the door and began the drive.

 

As the scenery passes by, you’re left alone to your thoughts, what would you say to him the moment you got to your destination? Would there be a lot of visitors? Are you gonna talk about Sans? You weren’t completely sure but whatever comes to mind is most likely what you’ll be saying.

 

Once you got off the bus, you immediately went to check if the flowers were still in good condition, and thankfully it still is, you gave it one last sniff before passing through the gate.

 

There you see rows and rows of small white crosses spread as far as the eye could see, you’ve noticed a few people here and there, some crying and some just sitting or standing in silence in front of the respective crosses of their love ones.

 

You passed by a few acquaintances before, who like you, were also visiting.

 

Stopping in front of a grave marker, **_‘Here lies Robert (L/n), who fought valiantly and will never be forgotten.’_ **

 

“How’s it going, Robert?” you asked as you crouched down to be eye level with the grave marker “I bet you’ve been turning in your grave waiting for me to visit,” you gave out a weak laugh “...It’s been awhile.” you sighed heavily.

 

It was weird how one could talk to a headstone like this, you shrugged and sat on the grass, you placed the neatly made bouquet down in between you and your brother’s head stone. You’ve found coins on the grass, piled against the white cross; some were pennies, a few nickels and dimes, and three quarters. You knew the people who left these quarters, they were with you when that happened, and you’re quite grateful that they didn’t forget to visit Robert.

 

Peaceful silence just seemed something you needed, save for a small number of children laughing and adults talking to each other, but that didn’t bother you.

 

“Man, what’s taking Josh so long to come?” you asked yourself “But hey, can’t you believe it? Josh, our little brother has got himself a boyfriend! Man, it was just so long ago that he was still so lanky and still in high school!” you began talking to the headstone, plucking a few blades of grass absentmindedly “And remember the times we had to take more than one job cause we both didn’t want to touch the money mom and dad left us with? ...Yeah, those were the days, I had to convince you that I was capable enough to at least do a part-time job.” you laughed to yourself as memories of you and Robert arguing in the kitchen of the old house-now-orphanage, the two of you didn’t want to back down, you kept on convincing your older brother that you taking part-time jobs will both help you with day to day expenses along with Josh’s. “Oh, yeah, before I go reminiscing about the past. I met up with Mrs. B, the old woman’s gotten more white hair the last time I saw her! And get this, monsters! Monsters from the underground! Who would’ve thought?! And wow, it’s just...I don’t know, I’m happy for them, I don’t feel be bad and disrespect them. The monsters are just like us, wanting to live and all that jazz we humans do.” you excitingly relay everything from the moment you came back and to the present events, and then you sighed heavily.

 

“...Me and Trey broke up.” you said to the headstone, sighing again, you could already imagine hearing Robert say _‘I told you so.’_ in his grave, “Alright, Okay, Yeah. I’m sorry for falling in love with your best friend of an asshole.” you said in a mocking tone “I really thought I could...change him, you know? Make him think I would be that one girl he’ll proudly say ‘I’ve changed my cheating ways and found the right girl for me.’ but who am I kidding? If a man wants to cheat then he’ll cheat on you, no matter how loyal he seems to be to his partner.”

 

You shrugged and rocked back and forth on the grass “And for some reason I don’t regret breaking it off with him, in fact, I feel...free.”

 

Then your thoughts wandered off to Sans “But you know what, Robert...ever since I came back-” you paused, trying to find the right words to say “I’ve met... someone-actually a _monster_ who’s pretty interesting.” managing a small smile, you remembered the skeleton’s goofy and relaxed grin whenever he told you a joke “He’s well- How do I explain this...He’s a skeleton, ironically what you would always be on Halloween, and his name? Sans? It’s a font name, quite unique and who am I to judge? He is literally the embodiment of lame jokes and bad puns, which to be honest? Makes me laugh and reminds me of you-” a short exhale of disbelief left your nose “-and for some reason, I feel...better when I’m with him.” you sighed in silence, you managed to show a bigger smile on your face despite talking to a headstone that logically will not reply to whatever you say to it “Is it weird to wish that you could at least show yourself in ghost form and talk to me?”

 

“It’d be totes scary if Robert _did_ show himself.”

 

You turn to the source of the voice and found Josh and Keith together, the two had brought some take out from a chinese restaurant “Have you seen Sans?” your brother asked.

 

“Sans?” you asked back “Why would he be here?” your face contorted into confusion.

 

You could hear Josh click his tongue loudly in annoyance “The professor was supposed to be here with you before me and Josh arrived.” Keith explained, trying to calm down his lover.

 

“He probably chickened out.” Josh angrily said as he neared you then sat beside you and rummaged through the bag of take out and handing your favourite chinese food “That guy was supposed to ‘talk’ with you.” he explained as he exaggerated the ‘talk’ word with his hands gesturing the quotation marks.

 

You on the other hand, stayed silent as Josh rant on and on about having a words with Sans and giving him a piece of his mind while Keith tried to defuse Josh’s temper by agreeing absentmindedly before shoving food into your brother’s mouth.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Walking along the way to your apartment from the park, you let yourself recall earlier events as you spent the whole afternoon with Josh and Keith, the two had the knack of keeping up a comedic duo vibe and made you forget the feeling of hopelessness about knowing that you could’ve talked to Sans today.

 

Then you saw Grillby’s upfront and you slowed down to a halt infront of the entrance, you started a debate in your head whether you should go inside and have a few drinks for yourself, but then you countered that by thinking with what if Sans is there? What would you do? Talk like nothing happened? “Now that would be awkward.”

 

“What would be awkward?” you turn around and see the elemental holding a bag of groceries in one hand and a key on the other, you also shifted your gaze to another elemental beside him, who was also carrying a bag of groceries, but instead of the common flame color you see on Grillby, this one was green and shorter and wore a female school uniform of some eastern school.

 

“Oh! Hey, Grillby!” you greeted in late surprise, everybody seems to just pop out of nowhere today.

 

The bar owner nodded at you before walking up to the doors and unlocking it “What brings you here at this hour? I’ve yet to open.”

 

“Yeeeaaaah...figured.” you answered awkwardly as you gave a look at your watch, it was four-thirty in the afternoon, and the pub opens up at five. “Just thought, I could get myself a few drinks before I head home, seems like I came here too early.” you sheepishly shrugged as you gave him an equally sheepish grin to partner with your shrug.

 

The other said nothing as he walked inside and held the door open for the other elemental “Come on in, it’d be rude of me to turn away a customer.” he said,still holding the door open as he waited patiently for you to enter.

 

You timidly enter the establishment and looked around, the glow from the two flame monsters danced around the room and created shadows that moved rapidly. You noticed the green one struggling with opening the kitchen door “Here, let me help you.” you said out loud as you rushed over to her side and opened the door for her.

 

“Thank you!” she happily chirped in relief before going inside to set down the groceries.

 

You were gonna close the door, but then you saw Grillby walking towards your direction so you opened the door again to allow him into the kitchen. “Thank you.” he simply said but it was in a tone where he was grateful for what you did “Not a problem.” you replied before closing the door and walking up to a bar stool, you tapped the top of each stool before settling down with the one that you sat in and first met Sans, you scoffed to yourself “Look at you, being this melodramatic over two weeks of not seeing some guy that you kissed in the park and wore his own jacket to bed butt naked.” you say in a mocking tone to yourself as you sat down, remembering that you still have his jacket at home, neatly folded on that one chair where the clothes seem to pile up on.

 

“That’s quite the information I didn’t expect and want to hear…”

 

You turn to face Grillby who was covering the lower half of his face with his hand in mild shock, feeling the heat on your face, you immediately tried to think up of an excuse to come up with “Uh, well, you see…you weren’t supposed to hear that.” you meekly reasoned out with the elemental.

 

This earned you a low chuckle from him “I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear anything then.” he said as he worked around the bar “So what will it be?” the fire monster asked as he took a glass and pointed it at you “cocktail? Mixed-drinks? Soda? Or water?”

 

“Whiskey. Whiskey on the rocks.” you sighed as you softly smiled up to him “Two glasses of it.”

 

“Two?” Grillby simply asked, but sounded disappointed that you didn’t order any monster alcohol, still he did his job “Do you want me to serve them together? Or the other one will be for someone later?”

 

“Please serve it together, Grillby.” you said in a tone that made the other look at you in silence, and you knew why he’s giving you that look, it was because you were on the verge of having another round of water works right now. But thankfully Grillby didn’t point it out and just served the two glasses of whiskey in front of you, taking one glass and sliding it to an empty bar stool to your right, you took the other glass and clinked it with the other before you took a sip from it.

 

It took a few minutes of silence before the elemental broke it “May I ask what’s wrong?”

 

You shrugged “...Just remembering someone.” you simply answered as you swirl the contents of your glass in a preoccupied manner, trying not to cry.

 

“Someone close to you?” he asked again.

 

“Yeah-” you paused, inhaling sharply before you placed your forehead on your free hand “My brother…”

 

_Fucking tear ducts, my eyes hurt from crying too much today._

 

“I see.” he answered as he wiped a glass clean.

 

“Yeah…” you softly replied before taking another swig from your glass of whiskey.

 

You appreciate Grillby for not asking any further questions, so you let yourself wallow in self-pity in peaceful silence. “Have...have you ever felt so empty to the point where everything just felt like whatever you do-” you gestured a shrug while holding a glass up “-like whatever you do isn’t worth it?”

 

Seconds of silence was met with a soft sigh from the elemental “...I have.”

 

You look up at him, and you see him holding unto the glass with a far off stare “I’ve also lost someone dear to me.” you hear him say as he poured himself a drink “My wife.” he simply but mournfully said as he downed the drink in one go, you saw him cough up in disgust when he realized he had drank whiskey “You humans have a weird taste in alcohol-” he coughed again “-how are you able to withstand the bitterness-” another cough “a-and burning sensation?”

 

Shrugging at him as you gave out a short laugh “We get used to it, I guess.” saying that, you extended your glass to him and Grillby immediately refilled it with whiskey. “It’s something that we have to drink for quite awhile before acquiring a taste.” you grinned as you drank

 

You see Grillby shaking his flaming head before he took out a bottle of blue liquid, poured some in a new glass and drank from it “In my opinion, Monster alcohol is better.”

 

Laughing at his statement and not out of mockery, you shook your head at him “Whatever you say, man.”

 

“Hey Dad? I’m done putting away the grocery.” the chirpy voice of the other elemental came within your hearing, and as if on cue the other showed herself right beside Grillby. “Can I now go and hang out with my friends?”

 

“Alright, alright.” the bar owner chuckled. “Stay safe, dear.”

 

You watched the two interact and you felt your heart ache, but you just smiled and waved goodbye to the green one as she passed by you and waved. “She’s adorable,” you pointed it out to him “and seems to be cheeky.”

 

He laughed “She takes after her mother.” he said both in a proud yet sad tone.

 

“You must’ve really loved your wife, huh?” you pointed it out.

 

“I really do, even until now,” he stated “My wife will always be the one for me.”  

 

“She’s lucky to have you.” you replied and that got you a shake of his head and a chuckle, both you and the bar owner ran out of any topics to talk not until he examined the bottle of whiskey he had in his hands “...Why whiskey? Is there anything special about this particular alcohol that makes you like it?” he asked you in curiosity.

 

You raised an eyebrow along with a soft smile, maybe talking would help you after today’s event, remembering the first time Robert had given you a glass of whiskey “It’s my brother’s favourite alcohol, but before it became his go-to liquor…’ you paused, holding the glass up and examining the amber colored liquid as it sloshed around the glass container “It was my Dad’s favourite.” you gave out a weak snort from your nose and just continued to be distracted by the drink “...Took me awhile to actually appreciate this.”

 

“Appreciate whiskey?” Grillby asked in confusion “What do you mean by that?”  the elemental had finished examining the bottle and had set it back to his collection of surface alcohol cabinet.

 

“Just like your reaction earlier, I had to get myself used to the burning sensation and bitter taste, I had a virgin tongue back then.” you laughed. “My brother said I’d get the hang of it if I drank more,” you continued with a shake of your head “And I did, but it wasn’t constant and when it did became a daily thing…” you shrugged absentmindedly before taking a sip from your glass. “I just drank till I got drunk and numb and well...get this stupid massive hangover that makes my head hurt the next day.”

 

“So you became irresponsible in drinking then…” the elemental said as if he understood this.

 

“You sound like you’ve done some irresponsible drinking too.” you look over to him, he had his back to you and was carefully looking at the bottles he kept in the shelves behind the bar, after picking a bottle of green liquid, he came back to the bar and poured himself a drink.

 

“You’d be surprised if I said yes.” he said with a small laugh.

 

You were indeed surprised, you’d thought the bar owner would be the cautionary type when it comes to drinking “...was this because of your wife?”

 

He fell silent, taking his time with the new glass of green liquid “...My wife was pregnant, but because of the war long ago, I couldn’t help her back then.” he stared at the glass, as if reminiscing about something “I wish I could go into details, but I’d be giving out monster history one-o-one if I continue.” he joked, giving you a soft chuckle in the process.

 

You grinned “It’s alright Grillby, if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine.” you outstretched your hand whilst holding the glass, the bar owner knew what this is and clinked his glass against yours “To the ones we love and lost.” you say as you downed the drink in one go.

 

Grillby did the same and let out a satisfied sigh “I guess this makes you my drinking buddy number two.” he joked again.

 

“Who’s number one?” you asked in mock hurt.

 

He laughed and shook his head “Sans is.”

 

You snorted before shaking your head again “...Speaking of Sans, have you any news from him?”

 

“He’s told me what happened.” the elemental said as he went to work with cleaning the glasses he used. “Must have been hard on you if you’re looking for him like this.”

 

You didn’t want to admit it but- “It is.” you simply answered and drank your glass empty. “No texts, no calls, no nothing from him.”

 

He nodded and took out the bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and poured you another.

 

“I mean, I know we _kissed_ but it was like, I don’t know. There was _something_ between us, like-like...a connection!” you said in slight frustration “And don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t like to be with Sans, I like him and it’s just...I really _really_ don’t know how to explain this!” you said as you jabbed your chest with your fingers “Every single time I think of Sans, my chest hurts, and it’s not the kind of hurt where I have a hard time breathing or going through a melt down. _IT. JUST. HURTS._ ”

 

Grillby laughed “So you’ve fallen for him then?”

 

“I…” you paused, realizing something you haven’t _“Have I?”_ you said in shock as you asked yourself this question, then you downed your drink in seconds as you felt the heat on your face.

 

The elemental gave you a shrug “I can’t give you the answer.” he said as he looked at you “You’re the only one who knows yourself best.”

 

But then you sighed, feeling your chest hurt at the thought that Sans might not reciprocate your feelings for him and that the kiss was truly a mistake that he did “...I don’t know Grillby, I might have feelings for him- _hell_ -I might even have fallen for him. But I don’t know if Sans feels the same way as I do.”

 

Grillby could only give you a chuckle before he filled up your glass “You’ll have to ask him about that.”

 

Then one by one customers started coming in and filling up the seats in different areas of the pub, you took your time drinking a few more glasses of whiskey and talking to Grillby in between drinks before finally thinking it was time for you to leave, so you exchanged words of farewell as you head out.

 

And as you left the pub, you swore to yourself that you seem to have caught a glimpse of Sans when you went to look back inside the pub as the doors closed behind you.

 

****************************************************

 

During his heat cycle, Sans was becoming more and more out of control, all his rationality, self-control, and common sense was out of the window. All he ever wanted to do was to _mate with you, mate with his soulmate._ He had to control himself from teleporting to your place and knocking on your apartment door, and if he ever _did_ do that, you’ll be in a hell of a bad time for a _good fuck._

 

He even had to ask Papyrus to keep a hold on his soul whenever Sans came rushing home after teaching his classes at the uni. If the shorter skeleton hadn’t, you’d be seeing a side of him that would scare you away, and he didn’t want that. And during those agonizing days, Sans tried to text or call you, but he feared that whatever text he would send would sound creepy and if he were ever to call and you answered, the sound of your voice would send him into a frenzied heat.

 

“BROTHER? ARE YOU IN YOUR ROOM?” Papyrus asked as he knocked on the door to his bedroom. “YOU HAVEN’T TELEPORTED TO (Y/N)’S PLACE, HAVE YOU?” he said in a panicked tone when Sans hasn’t replied to his brother’s first question from the other side of the door.

 

“Sorry, Paps. Now's not a...g-good time.” Sans replied in labored breaths, stroking his member to a fantasy of you he made up in his head.

 

“O-OH.” his brother replied, immediately knowing what the other said “WELL, I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES YOU’VE DONE IT TODAY, BROTHER, BUT MAY I SUGGEST TO AT LEAST RELIEVE YOURSELF WITH A SUBSTITUTE PARTNER?” his brother suggested, clearly worried that whatever Sans did, wouldn’t help him in anyway to alleviate his heat.

 

“No… no tha-thanks bro…” Sans shuddered at the thought of you squirming as you straddled him and came, which caused him to release another load on a plastic covered floor. “Even if I _did_ do it with someone else, I doubt they’d be willing to do it for free or even with being paid.” he said in sarcasm as he walked over to his closet and took out a fresh set of clothes to bring to the bathroom.

 

“I’LL BE IN THE KITCHEN COOKING DINNER THEN.” Papyrus said with a loud sigh, Sans heard the taller skeleton walk away and down to the kitchen.

 

Instead of walking to the bathroom, Sans opted with shortcutting to it, taking off his clothes and dumping it on the floor. The skeleton proceeded with turning on the shower and just stand there, it’s been awhile since he’s had a peaceful moment like this, and ever since that kiss, he’s been doing nothing but fantasize about you every. Single. Night.

 

Doing more than one round of relieving himself, and this scared him.

 

It was unbelievably scary how you could excite him up like this, was this due to your connection being his soulmate? Or was there some kind of magical leak that enhances your hormonal scent that drives him crazy like this? No matter how many times Sans keep tackling on the subject about you and being his soulmate with sound and crazy theories he’s come up with, Sans knew little about the deeper meaning of being bound to this so-called ‘String of Fate’ as you humans call it.

 

He’d have to ask a few of his friends regarding about this.

 

But for now, he was hungry, and after leaving his brother and Frisk at the grocery store. He couldn’t buy his favourite condiment, ketchup.

 

Sans gave the shower stall a look around before settling for his vanilla scented soap and wash towel, the skeleton took in a deep inhale of the scent before sighing in satisfaction “Humans have a weird way of labeling things,” he began to talk to himself “I don’t think this scent is _‘girly’_ or _‘feminine’_ at all.” he said with finality and began to soap then rinse himself down. “It just smells great.”

 

After a few more minutes of standing under the running water, Sans contemplated whether to do another round of stroking himself and fantasize about fucking you in the showers, but he washed away that thought with a long sigh. “How am I going to apologize to her…”

 

He said to himself as he finally turned off the shower and began wiping himself down with the provided towel in the bathroom. He sighed heavily as Sans changed into his cleaned clothes and teleported himself to the kitchen, there he found Frisk and Papyrus cooking dinner. “What’s cookin’?” he asked as he took his seat.

 

“OH, THE USUAL! WITH A SIDE OF BROWNIES AND BUTTERSCOTCH PIE!” Papyrus answered him despite the pun earlier. “WE’RE ALMOST DONE!”

 

“Heh, Can’t wait.” he fondly replied as he watched the two work around the kitchen and set up the table.

 

Everything was prepared in minutes,the moment Papyrus and Frisk sat down, each and every one of them took turns into taking their preferred servings of food, knowing Sans, He preferred to take a little bit of each.

 

It was an awkward silence until Frisk broke it with a sigh “...You kinda disappeared from when we were grocery shopping.”

 

“...You know the reason why, kid.” Sans replied in a low tone

 

“So what if (Y/n) was there? It could have been coincidental.” Frisk said in defense, voice slightly going up in volume “She was definitely worried about you.”

“It wasn’t the right time to face her.” he replied, slightly annoyed.

 

“You can’t run away every time she coincidentally appear in places we go to!” Frisk countered “Sans, you know you have to face her and talk to her soon!”

 

“This has nothing to do with you, kid.” Sans argued back “This involves me and (Y/n),  

 

“TABLE MANNERS, EVERYONE!” Papyrus scolded the two.

 

Awkward silence filled the kitchen once more, Sans could see the disappointment in Frisk’s face as he watched them eat in silence. “Look, kid, I-”

 

“I don’t know what you’ll be doing, Sans,” Frisk said as they stood up abruptly after finishing their food “But it’s not right to avoid your soulmate like this…” giving him a sad look before walking away, Frisk had paused in their steps to look back at the skeleton “You’re not aware that you’re hurting her like this.”

With the front door closing after Frisk had left, Sans sighed heavily to himself and massaged his bony temples.

 

“Sans, our little human friend has a point.” Papyrus spoke up, not in his usual loud and boisterous voice. “It has been more than a week since you’ve last had contact with her, and I know that seeing (Y/n) in that grocery mart was a coincidence, but you really didn’t have to teleport away like that, and it really seemed like you were scared of her.”

 

The shorter skeleton kept quiet until he sighed again “I know, Paps...it’s just,” Sans paused and looked at his brother with a tired and guilty expression “This isn’t just your typical television romance flick where it’s happily ever after with my soulmate, bro.”

 

Papyrus kept quiet and just reached out to pat his brother’s shoulder. Both didn’t know what else to say as time went on.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sans was just minding his own business, headphones on with the volume halfway, as he sat at his usual seat in the bus. Taking the bus from his house today gave him some free time to think and recollect his thoughts, what he didn’t anticipate was you boarding the same transportation as him. The skeleton immediately put up his hoodie over his head and slid down his seat, the good thing is that you stood three rows before him and other people blocked your view of the back seat. The bad thing? His heat flared up for a few seconds the moment he laid eyes on you “Well,shit.” he muttered under his breath, but Sans was glad that his heat cycle was nearing the end and the sudden spike of his heat after seeing you wasn’t as intense as the first day.

 

Giving himself a bit of a leverage to check you out, with your back to him, he saw you dressed in a casual long coat with jeans and combats boots. Raising an eyebrow, he wondered why would you dress like that on a fine sunny day like this, then he noticed the bouquet of flowers you held in your hands.

 

Whatever occasion it is today, the flowers made him curious as to why you would go out of your way with the floral plants and formal dressing.

 

Sans just wished he could walk over to you, reach out to grab your arm, and just give his usual comical jokes to make you smile and laugh. But he couldn’t… he didn’t have the courage to talk to you after running away like a coward like that, _man_ , he craved your attention, your voice calling his name, and you laughing at his jokes-

 

Then the skeleton snapped out of his reverie, realizing he was almost halfway to standing up.

 

He flopped back down into his seat “Get a grip, bonehead.” he softly scolded himself, then the uni’s bus stop came to view, pressing the red stop button beside him; the bus slowed to a halt as the doors opened in a slow hissing motion. Instead of walking to the center and getting off the bus through its doors, Sans teleported from his seat and into his office, he’d rather do that than risking bumping into you and cause an awkward scene.

 

He sighed heavily and slouched on his chair, Sans would have to ask Josh later about this when the skeleton has the time to do so later after his class.

 

Sighing again, he got up and walked the hallways of the physics building and bumped into Alphys, who was hurrying to his classroom for the joint lecture the two had planned months ago.

 

“Heya, Alphys.” Sans waved at the yellow reptilian scientist.

 

“S-Sans! Oh, thank g-goodness! I thought I-I was l-l-late!” she replied as she jogged to a halt.

 

“Nah, you’re just in time.” Sans laughed.

 

The room had become silent the moment the two professors had set foot inside the large theatre-like classroom, a few murmurs here and a few hushes there.

 

Without wasting any time, the two monster went to work, “Better get yer pens and notebooks ready, guys. There’s gonna be a _skele-ton_ of writing.” Sans joked and the room erupted into a mixture of exasperated groans, snorts, and short laughter.

 

Sans couldn’t help it, he allowed himself to stop writing from time to time as he explained a few complex equations and showing the class some demonstrations, while Alphys continued writing on what the skeleton left.

 

And as time passed by with the last remaining calculations on the board, and along with Alphys, who joined in on the question-and-answer sessions, Sans had finally come to the conclusion with his simplified version of the construction of his teleportation magic up to the ratios and summary of this extra topic.

 

With a tired and satisfied sigh, Sans gave the students a weary smile “It wasn’t easy for me and Professor Alphys to come up with these solutions and try them out by inventing machines that could potentially dust us. And with this-” Sans tapped the board behind him with a bony finger “-concludes today’s joint discussion.” he winked at the crowd of students in front of him. All were in awe at the set of formulas and numbers, he and Alphys, wrote in three sets of whiteboards, these were the solutions and calculations used to determine his gravity and teleportation or “Short cut” magic ever since the accident where his other brother was blasted off into the core’s void.

 

“I-i-it sure has b-been awhile..s-since we wrote these!” the yellow reptilian monster said as she shuffled closer to the skeleton.

 

“Heh, I know.” Sans grinned at Alphy’s direction before looking up at the rows and rows of formulas on the board “These pretty much came into being when I started teleporting randomly.”

 

The other nodded “T-t-that a-accident really caused a new circ-c-cuitry of magic that was fo-forced into your body.”

 

“It sure did.” he said in a sing song voice “...Teleportation didn’t come to me naturally, unlike my gravitational magic-” he tapped the board again, this time with his palm “-These really helped, but then again, having to calculate for every possible landing of where I go became tiresome, so just imagining the place or having the right coordinates of where I go became easier for me to handle the magic.” he shrugged

 

“A-ah well, at least you didn’t have to b-bring a notebook and pen every single jump.” the other laughed before checking her watch “S-s-s-sorry S-Sans, I have to go! U-U-U-Undyne is p-probably waiting for m-m-m-me!” she confirmed before running out of the door.

 

Sans sighed and scratched the back of his skull, then he remember what he was gonna do after this class ended, look for your brother and ask him, and as if on time, Josh and Keith walked in front of the skeleton, clearly hurrying themselves out of the room. “Ah, hey-” Sans called out to the younger sibling, Josh turned to look at him with a startled expression.

 

“Why’re you in a hurry, kiddo?” the short skeleton asked, clearly curious why the boy would be hurrying like this.

 

Josh looked at him funnily before realizing something “Oh. Me, Keith, and (Y/n) are going somewhere, it’s pretty personal and just between family.” he vaguely answered the skeleton’s question, clearly not wanting to look into the other’s eyes.

 

Sans could tell Josh didn’t want to give away more information, if it was _that_ personal and _if_ it involves (Y/n), then Sans’ next move would be not pushing his curiosity and put his student in a corner “Well, whatever it is, I hope you and your sister are able to push through it.” he said as he sighed heavily.

 

Josh gave the other a short stare before snorting to himself, mocking the skeleton’s sincere gesture “Look, it’s not that I don’t want you to come, but the way that you just left (Y/n) in the park and _‘ghosting’_ her for almost three weeks and just not bothering to give her a heads up or something about your current situation…” Josh reached up to his head and frustratingly scratched it “Okay, right, I’m just gonna fucking lay it out here, in all honesty Sans; this isn’t something I can just tell you like ‘Hey, man! something’s going on and I don’t mind you coming!’ cause it’s bullshit, My sister has been going around like a headless chicken trying to get an update of you from me and your family. So the chances of me letting you meet her on this day are little to none, because she’s been hurting, she doesn’t complain about it but it’s clear as day.” Josh said in a venomous tone as he sneered at the other with a glare “One thing’s for sure Sans, you better man the fuck up and fucking apologize to her, because the way I see it, this is your damn fault.”

 

Sans couldn't believe what he’s hearing and seeing, sure, he’s seen the kid boil over the top in other occasions.

 

But being the receiver of it was a whole different thing.

 

_Remind me not to get on his bad side again._

 

“Look, kid.” Sans cautiously tried to reason “I know it’s my fault for leaving (Y/n) just like that and not trying to get back to her, there are things that humans won’t be able to understand-” he gave Josh a glance and he could see the other making an impatient expression “Alright, look, I’ll go and apologize to her, only if you’ll allow me to meet up with her.” the skeleton tried to negotiate with the other.

 

Josh stared at daggers at him before sighing, Keith then took over and grinned apologetically at the professor “I’m sure you understand why Josh is being like this, prof.-” he shrugged at the other who had already walked out and was waiting in the hallways “You can come and see what’s the occasion today.”

 

The Skeleton followed the two to the bus stop where a bus had already left right before they could reach the stop.

 

Not even reaching the fifteen minute wait interval, a new bus had arrived and opened its doors for them, upon finding some seats together was a miracle, where all three sat side by side. But unluckily for Sans, he’s trapped between the couple.

 

_Well, shit._

 

Sitting down and not talking or engaging a topic was making him nervous, double nervous when the skeleton realizes that Josh’s anger hasn’t subsided yet.

 

Thankfully the bus had lurched into ignition and began moving down the road, travelling in awkward silence sure was getting to Sans, usually a joke would help ease the atmosphere. But with Josh being a seething ball of wrath wasn’t gonna cut it.

 

And with a sigh, Sans leaned back into his chair and stared at the ceiling for some invisible entertainment available.

 

“...Is there a particular reason why you suddenly bolted from the park that day?” Josh finally asked, breaking the silence and the Sans short daydreaming episode of you. “I’m still angry but I want answers.” he demanded.

 

“I’m not even sure (Y/n) would understand my explanation and situation, kid.” Sans sighed irritably and scratched the back of his skull “What makes you think you can?”

 

At this point, the aura around Josh changed, making Sans realized he said the wrong set of words. “Okay, wait, wrong choice of words.” he hurriedly explained. “Kid, like I said earlier, there are things that humans won’t be able to understand a situation in a monster’s point of view.” the skeleton played around with the zipper of his jacket “...You see, that day in the park was a day before my, uh, _heat_ . And well, something sensual like a french kiss can...well...make us monsters go into early heat and weeeell.” Sans shrugged at the last part, he honestly don’t know if the two humans he’s with can understand what he’s saying. “Turn us into some kind of... _sex addict_ , for uh, two weeks or more.”

 

Keith and Josh never said anything but Sans could feel the judging and confused looks the two gave him. Sans reached up to cover his face in embarrassment. “And your sister is someone... _I fancy_. A lot. No doubt.” he continued in a small voice, giving away the only thing he’s not supposed to. To someone you know, much less someone close to you.

 

_Oh bones, someone dust me right now._

 

“So you’re saying that...a monster _heat_ is like some kind of...monthly period in female human sense where you get horny as fuck?” Josh said in disbelief. “And my sister is a potential partner for you?”

 

That caught the skeleton and Keith off guard and the two couldn’t help but laugh at the way Josh had described a monster heat in his own vocabulary. Sans composed himself “Nah, kid. She’s not just ‘potential partner’, she is _the_ partner.” then remembering Josh’s words, he laughed. Again.

 

Now trying to regain composure. Again “I-I think the prof meant, something like a mating season, right?” Keith deciphered, corrected actually, Josh’s words before acknowledging the look of shock and confusion in Sans’ bony face.

 

“That’s the correct term, mating, but for us monsters. _Mating_ during our _heat cycle_ can be quite, dangerous and risky in a lot of ways, for monsters of the same species, it’s alright. Monsters of two different species is slightly dangerous, while having a human partner is where the risky part comes in. Especially if there’s a special bond connecting the two.” Sans explained thoroughly but not detailed enough to get into the magic part. “This is all I can say, kid. Won’t say anything more.” He shrugged, talking like this can be taxing on a chill guy like Sans.

 

_Who would’ve thought I’d be explaining a lot today._

 

Josh hummed nonchalantly, possibly still taking all of this in was all Sans could deduce from the way Josh and Keith reacted to his explanation. And without any warning, Josh stood up abruptly before hitting the stop button, prompting the bus to slow down to a halt and stop at the cemetery bus stop.

 

"This is our stop." He simply said before excusing himself here and there just to simply walk out of the bus, with Sans and Keith following behind Josh.

 

Once outside, Sans gave the serene yet eerie surroundings a good look.

 

_A human cemetery, huh?_

 

"Hey ki-" Sans called out to the two but Josh held up his hand, and immediately, the skeleton halted his sentence.

 

"Me and Keith, are gonna buy some food, since we're going to stay here for awhile, talking and take the time to relax and catch up..." Josh explained but paused for a bit, a sad expression on his face "...with someone." Then he grabbed Sans by the shoulders "I'm also doing this for (y/n)'s sake, so if you fuck this chance up…" your younger  brother paused and tightened his grip on the skeleton "I don't know what I'll do the next time, I see you." He said menacingly before letting go and smiling like nothing happened, except for the fact that the kid just threatened Sans.

 

"S-Sure thing, kid." The skeleton stuttered before shaking off the feeling of being scared at the fact that he's totally at the bad end of Josh's anger.

 

Without any further ado, Josh walked away with a destination in mind with Keith following behind him, Sans was left to his own, and with a shrug decidingly went inside. The skeleton was too busy looking for you, but he could feel the countless stares from people in the cemetery as he passed by rows and rows of headstones.

 

That’s when he spotted you, sitting down on the grass talking to… no one but the headstone you were facing. Rocking back and forth on the place you sat, Sans hesitated but it was now or never, and as he approached you, he heard you talk about him that made his soul flip in delight.

 

“But you know what, Robert...ever since I came back-” he heard you say and paused for a bit, completely stuck at where he stood at  “I’ve met... someone-actually a _monster_ who’s pretty interesting.” he saw you smile, oh bones, it’s been awhile since he’s seen you and being this close and seeing you smile like that really got him motionless “He’s well- How do I explain this...He’s a skeleton, ironically what you would always be on Halloween, and his name? Sans? It’s a font name, quite unique and who am I to judge? He is literally the embodiment of lame jokes and bad puns, which to be honest? Makes me laugh and reminds me of you-” he could feel his soul clench in want and it ached for you. Badly.  “-and for some reason, I feel...better when I’m with him.” and that’s all it took, Sans couldn’t bear what he had just heard and chickened out by teleporting back to the bus station.

 

_Idiot! Fuck! I blew it up! Shit!_

 

Was all he could say as he mentally scold himself, then as if on cue for a bad time for the skeleton, he saw Josh and Keith from afar. Thinking quickly, Sans hopped into the waiting bus and sat down at the very back.

 

Peeking through the window, he saw the two crossed the road and enter the cemetery.

_Now you’ve done it, you bonehead. You’re never gonna under the good graces of (Y/n)’s brother after the chance he gave you._

 

Sweating at the fact that the skeleton would be hated on by the only related family you’ve got, Sans could only see impending doom coming his way at the uni the next day.

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sans swore to himself that he could feel you somewhere near the pub when he teleported himself inside, Grillby raised a slightly visible white eyebrow at the skeleton “You just missed (Y/n).”

 

“She was here?” looking at the elemental in surprise, San furrowed his bony brows together “You’re kidding right?”

 

“She was standing right infront of the door of the pub when I got back from shopping with Fuku.” Grillby explained and chuckled in amusement as he saw the skeleton’s reaction turn from guilt to regret. “...You do know, you could still catch up to her.”

 

“S’not like, she’d want to see me after ‘ghosting’ her like that…” Sans countered pathetically.

 

“I’m not so sure about that.” the bar owner shrugged as he mixed a drink for Sans.

 

“I fucked up today…” Sans sadly admitted to his mistake. “I was gonna go talk to her today but I chickened out and shit, and I don’t think I’d be viewed as a good guy by her brother or by anyone close to her.”

 

“You do tend to run away from your problems.” Grillby commented, not fazed at all. “You really haven't changed that part of you.”

 

“Stop rubbing salt into my wounds, Grillbz.” letting out an annoyed groan at the elemental.

 

Grillby was right though, Sans couldn’t keep running away like this whenever a problem occurred in his life, and right now, you weren’t the problem. It was him. And he didn’t want to make you feel like it was your fault in the first place just so that he could feel good and less guilty for himself. You didn’t know about being a monster’s soulmate or anything about monsters in general, but you were willing to be in their company and be their friend as you set aside the differences a long time ago.

 

The elemental could only stare at the skeleton as he placed the baby blues drink in front of Sans, contemplating on what to say, Grillby sighed out loud where it had caught the other’s attention “Sans, the first time she was here, it was clear as day that you’ve fallen for her. And what makes thing even better, is the fact that she’s your soulmate. I’m sure that whatever it is that’s bothering you, you can depend on (Y/n) to help you through it.” Grillby stared at the glass he held absentmindedly “...And it’s going to be the same for her, (Y/n) would be depending on you for some help and support along the way.”

 

Sans took a slow sip of his drink, it’s was scary how the bar owner could be this understanding and be perceptive of things “I’m not really sure about this Grillbz, what if she’s not willing to talk to me? What if she’s already started to hate me? What if she doesn't _want_ to see me.”

 

“All these ‘what if’s are just many possible outcomes of a single situation, Sans.” Grillby answered in a tone that was too understanding of what’s going on. “I’m sure she’s still waiting for some kind of signal from you…” the elemental paused to attend to a customer that ordered some surface drinks, when that was done, the other went back to his previous spot “this is easier said than done, but, all you need to do is talk to her.”

 

Sans scoffed but thankfully accepted that advice from Grillby “I know, Grillbz, I know.” the skeleton paused midway from his drink “Say, what was the reason she was here?”

 

“Well, for starters, she wasn’t looking for you.” Grillby jokingly said as he wiped a glass

 

Sans rolled his eye lights at the elemental “Oh no, Grillby telling jokes, it's the end of the world.”

 

This earned a chuckle from the other “She was here to grab a few drinks…” the elemental paused before sighing to himself “And to remember someone.”

 

The skeleton remembered the image of you talking to a headstone at the cemetery earlier. Maybe it is best for him to talk to you. Not just about ghosting you for almost three weeks, but everything in general, like getting to know you for a start.

“Must be someone pretty close to her…” Sans muttered to himself before he downed his drink in one go.

 

“Hey, Grillbz?” he called out to the other

 

“Hm?” the other hummed, acknowledging the call from the skeleton

 

“Thanks for this.” he thanked the elemental as he tapped the rim of his glass

 

“Not a problem, Sans.” Grillby hummed as he chuckled and shook his head at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm soooo sorry, life got in the way and it took me awhile to actually finish this chapter, I actually started on creating an undertale AU that I've been meaning to work on for awhile now.
> 
> and to top it all off, I was really reeeaaallly late into joining the undertale fandom, so I'm kinda deep into it right now and exploring a ton fuck of AUs out there.
> 
> you can check me out on these websites for undertale fan art!:  
> [Tumblr](https://a-2-a.tumblr.com/)  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/A2AKyun)  
> [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/a2akyun/)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans finally shows himself and you guys talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof, 100 kudos?! thank you so much guys! enjoy the latest chapter!
> 
> wanna talk? go to me [Tumrblr!](https://a-2-a.tumblr.com/)

It was well past lunch when you’ve woken up to a throbbing headache, indicated that last night’s homage drinking gave you an unpleasant and late start on the day.

 

Thankfully enough, you had nothing planned for the whole day.

 

Searching for your phone, you skimmed across the blankets of your bed for a flat bump, then you reached under your pillows but felt nothing. The next thing you did was look around your room, you didn’t find your phone on it’s usual place by the bedside drawer, not on the floor either, as if on cue, your ringtone caught your attention.

 

You found the small tech laid on top of Sans’ neatly folded jacket.

 

Taking both the phone and his jacket into your hands, you walked over to your bed, lying on your stomach as you hugged the garment close to you while you checked whoever sent you a message.

 

Skimming through rows and rows of messages from Josh and Keith, your eyes spotted a familiar name, immediately you felt your heart leap for excitement just from seeing the name.

 

**Sans:**

Morning

How are you holding up?  
I...have something to talk to you

And I was wondering if you were free today?

Its cool if you cant

Heh i cant really say you’d want to see me leaving you hanging like that…

 

His message explained but this was sent to you four hours ago, you mentally apologized to Sans, and when the last messaged registered, you felt yourself grow flush at the memory that surfaced.

 

But…

 

He was willing to see you, heck, he’s willing to _talk_ to you!

 

More like he’s actually uncertain whether or not you’d meet up with him, you felt your chest tightened, of course you wanted to see him...talk to him even.

 

You look at your phone like it offended you, you couldn’t bring yourself to type anything, your head was empty. You tried to piece some words, you typed ‘K’ but then you erased it, thinking that you sound like you were forced to see him. ‘Sure!’ was the next thing to appear on the chat box, however you erased it again thinking this sounded a little _too_ desperate.

 

**(y/n):**

Alright…

 

After you’ve sent that message and placed it down, you were about to smother your face with his jacket when your phone pinged.

 

**Sans:**

Cool

 

Oddly enough, that was the only reply he’s sent you, no address or time of meet up, just...an acknowledgement. You felt your stomach twist unpleasantly, now you were not sure if you’re looking forward to seeing him today. No no no! He must be busy! That’s why he’s replying with one word...one message...Ugh.

 

You huffed, dispelling any negative energy or thoughts, so when you see him later or, err, when he texts you regarding the meet up location and time, then by the time you meet him...you’ll be fine?

 

_Who are you kidding...this sucks…_

 

You mentally and depressingly scolded yourself.

 

Finally working up the motivation to get up and get yourself dressed, a walk outside would definitely lighten up your mood! You just hope that whatever single life line you’re holding unto right now, would last until you see the skeleton.

 

 _If_ you’re able to see the skeleton today.

By the time you were outside, the afternoon sun was beating down on you, thankfully enough, you had your cap with you. Sadly, your favourite sunglasses broke.

 

Without any destination in mind, you began walking, allowing yourself to wander around aimlessly, unknowingly your feet dragged you back to the Open Area, now that you’ve taken a proper look of your surroundings.

 

You’ve never really had a proper look of the stalls at the place, so you decide to walk around more, walking on the laid out gravel path with the food stands on the side. You gave each stand a look of interest, one was a lemonade stand but there was no one attending to it at the moment, so you weren’t sure if this was run by a human or a monster. Funnily enough, it wasn’t just selling lemonade because there were also different flavors, there was apple, watermelon, four-seasons, and blue lemonade. The next one was a pizza stand, it sold the same pizza from the usual one at the corner near the bus stop “Oh, like, hey! It’s you!” the purple cat monster called out to you “Like, how’s your head?”

 

Grinning at the cat “Hi! It’s been awhile!” you stood in front of the stand, hands on the metallic counter “My head’s been fine, what about you? How’s work for you?”

 

She playfully swiped the air with a paw while laughing “It’s like, totes fine! And like, my boss? The oldie wants to like, thank you!”

 

You furrow your brow in confusion “For what?”

 

“You like, totes gave us a huge bill! And like, not even taking the change!” she replied with a genuine catty grin

 

“Oh, that.” you paused and let out a sheepish laugh “There’s really no need to thank me.”

 

“Gurrrl,” she purred in a slightly threatening manner? “Like nuh uh, the oldie boss told me to give you like, a free slice of pizza if I totes see you around here.” she said, claiming the final word as she started to get one of pizza as take out for you.

 

“No, really it’s fi-” you said halfway your sentence before the cat monster shoved the take out bag into your face with a clear intent to shut you up. You took the take out bag away from you face and gave the monster a deadpan look, but it seems to go unnoticed as she drops another slice of pizza in the bag “On me.” she winked at you while purring happily at what she did.

 

You felt bad about getting something free for doing something as small as just leaving behind some change, so you reached into your pocket for some bills “I’ll just pay for these-”

 

“Gurl! Like! Totes No!” she screeched when she saw what you were about to do.

 

“Alright, alright.” you immediately answered and took the bag “Thanks for this uh...” you look at her with an awkward expression, realizing that you actually didn’t know this monster’s name.

 

“Catty!” she replied with a mischievous grin.

 

“Thanks for this, Catty.” you thanked her and went on your way, looking back to just wave at her.

 

Continuing your exploration, you passed by multiple stands that sold human food more than monster food, you passed by a hotdog stand. You quickly jog up to it thinking you could find Sans slouching and dozing off inside “...Sans?” you experimentally called out and leaned over the counter to check inside, sadly the skeleton wasn’t there.

 

You felt your chest hurt again but you shrug it off.

 

You hear a chuckle in the other stand, and you see the pub owner attending to a burgers and fries stall “Hi, Grillby.” you timidly smile at the elemental, feeling your embarrassment meter shoot up “Is Sans working today? I guess, he isn’t...it’s a sunday after all.” you said, not noticing how sad you sounded when those words came out.

 

The flame monster hummed, resting his forefinger and thumb on his chin “I’m sure, He’ll come around and show his face again.” Grillby noted for you, his voice slightly going higher after every word.

 

You squint at him in confusion, that was weird, he had texted you for a meet up today and that’s what Grillby could only say to you? It sure is confusing you. And the elemental seems to shift around before accidentally hitting something while maintaining a soft smile on his face. You were gonna ask him when-

 

“How are you, (y/n)? Nothing rough happened last night when you got home?” he asked, brow furrowing in concern.

 

You shrugged, rocking on your heels “Oh! I’m fine.” you lied, giving Grillby one of your signature smiles when lying.

 

“Are you sure?” he asked again, this time voice a bit stern “You’re not lying right?”

 

_Oh, but I am. Sorry Grillby._

 

You laughed at the elemental, he was seriously acting like a dad now “Come on, I’m used to being ghosted.” you said in a sincere tone “Whether it be friends or a lover, I really don't have the energy right now to feel sorry for myself.”

 

“Hearing you say that, makes it sound like you are looking for company.” Grillby deducted. “That’s a sad thing to even say and hear from.”

 

You shrugged again “I do look for company- I’d _love_ to have company, it’s just that... _if_ they want to be in my company.” you stared at your feet while you played around with the gravel on the tips of your shoes “...It’s not like I can force them to be with me,” you scoffed “I’m not in everyone’s number one spot.” you felt both your heart and chest having this constant dull throb of  a pain you’ve gotten used to for a long time. “I’m just hoping Sans is alright…”

 

Grillby stayed silent, and you took this chance to ask whatever question you were gonna ask earlier “So!” you got his attention, successfully distracting him from the depressing conversation earlier “What are you doing out here?”

 

“I wasn’t _supposed_ to be here.” he stressed as he folded his arms on his chest. “My daughter is usually the one attending to this stall.” he sighed, clearly frustrated about something unavoidable “But she’s in a group study right now.”

 

“You really care for your daughter.” you pointed out while giggling to yourself “What a great dad.”

 

Grillby huffed an exaggerating exhale “I’m just doing what I can for her-” he abruptly pause, his flames turning a slight shade of ruby red “As long as she’s doing well in school, all is good.”  

 

You smile in nostalgia, the pub owner reminded you of your dad, he would fluster and become this defensive when it comes to sincere praises “I’m glad, she has a father like you.” you accidentally said your thoughts out loud and you watched the flame monster erupt into ruby flames when he heard that statement.

 

You tried to cover the shock on your face with your hands as you avoid the flames he spewed in every direction, surprisingly enough, it didn’t stay blazing for long and the sprayed blazes fizzled out. The silence both enveloped the two of you, both awkwardly trying to find the words or sentences to say “Hey um-”

 

“I-I’m terribly sorry about that.” Grillby quickly apologized, one hand covering his face while the other supported it under the elbow. “I don’t- this is-” he sighed “I’m not...usually used to praises” stammering his explanation to you.

 

“No, no. it’s totally cool.” you reassured him. “It’s my fault, I didn’t know.”

 

He sighed, hand moving to his mouth, trying to focus his gaze at you “It’s not your fault, trust me.”  

 

You eyed Grillby for a bit before pointing down the gravel path “Alright, well, I’ll be exploring a bit more.” you said, slowly walking away from him “You have a good day, Grillby!” you waved at the other before facing front.

 

You distracted yourself once again with the variety of foods and drinks laid out in front, you passed by a small pastry booth ran by a purple female spider monster in a cute lolita dress, five eyes watching you intently while her three pairs of arms worked around with something behind the counter, You stop to examine the delicious looking pastries on the other side of the glass display “Ufufufufu~ they won’t be going anywhere unless you buy them~” she said in a singsong voice, having noticed you eyeing them.

 

“They look incredibly delicious!” you childishly commented “But they’re too beautiful to be eaten though!” you sincerely said, pouting up at the spider.

 

The other blinked all five of her eyes before erupting into a fit of giggles “My dear, it’s supposed to look beautifully appetizing~” she flirtatiously said “How could you not want to eat it? Ufufufu~”

 

“Are these monster food?” you innocently asked, completely captivated by this slice of chocolate cake topped with berries, whip cream, and a large blue macaroon.

 

The spider giggled again “What I’m mostly selling is human pastries, dearie~”  she said as she pulled out the slice of chocolate cake from the refrigerated display case “You’re quite the unusual customer~” she paused her sentence midway, certainly distracted about something before she boxed the slice in a pastry container “I’d love it if you come visit this stall of mine everyday~” taking your free hand and gently placing the wrapped take out “This one’s on me, ufufufufu~” she winked with her right eye.

 

You didn’t notice this advancement since you felt like you were a child getting an unexpected gift from a relative “Oh wow!” you childishly grin at the monster “Thank you uh…”

 

“Muffet, ufufufufu~” saying her name in a singsong voice again

 

“Thank you, Muffet!” you brought the cake up to your chest, cradling it like a baby “I’ll be sure to enjoy this!” you said before you wave the pizza holding hand at her “It’s best I get going now, I still have places to go, but thank you again for the cake!” you said, walking ahead now “I’ll try to visit you again tomorrow!” you declared before facing the front again to watch where you’re going.

 

You were just a few meters away when you heard someone call out to you “Psst! Hey! Pretty lady holding a pastry container!” you stop on your tracks and turn to look at the person calling you.

 

It was a light blue bunny monster in a bright yellow shirt and red overalls with a tuft of fur on top of his head acting like hair, he was waving at you.

 

You were hesitant at first, being catcalled was something you dislike very much but when you saw the monster, you had a gut feeling that he was a good guy. So you slowly approached him, eyes squinting in both confusion and doubt “Hi?” you greeted in a questioning manner.

 

“Hello! Would you like some Nice Cream?” he asked with bright enthusiasm before pulling out a nice cream from his cart.

 

“Don’t you mean...ice cream?” you asked in confusion.

 

“Oh no! It’s Nice Cream!” he declared with a pose highlighting the food against his yellow shirt and beamed a smile at you “It’s the frozen treat that warms your heart!” he then placed the ice cold treat in a small take out bag before handing it to you.

 

“Oh wait, let me just get some money-” you said but you were immediately ceased all action when he grabbed your hand.

 

“It’s alright!” he said in a positive manner “When I saw you, you looked like you needed something to brighten your day!” he grinned and gave you the bag by slotting the handles around your palm. “Here you go! Have a super-duper day!”

 

You blinked in surprise but you walked ahead “T-thank you!” you stammered as you looked back to wave at the vendor who was also waving back at you, and to be honest? you found yourself wondering what did you even do the past few days to earn this. Some strangers were being nice to you and giving you free food, you really wondered if this is some cruel game someone is playing on you, making you feel like you’re going to have a great day then suddenly it’ll be ruined.

 

Finding yourself into a familiar scenery, your feet has once again lead you to wandering around until you’ve reached the path going to the fountain.

 

Sighing to yourself, you’ve decided that hanging out by the fountain won’t be such a bad idea, considering that you’ve done that most of the time when no one wanted to be hang out with you or you just wanted to be alone before. The moment you saw the fountain, you saw something else lying down in front of it, upon closer inspection.

 

It was a stray dog, a puppy at that.

 

You quietly went up to it and crouched, trying not to startle it, you saw one of the paws had a nylon wire wrapped tightly around it.

 

“Poor thing…” you muttered, and as if on cue, it opened its eyes. Upon seeing you, the puppy immediately let out a cry and and backed itself against the fountain, you flinched at the sudden reaction but you immediately composed yourself “Hey, hey…” you gently cooed at the pup “It’s fine, I won’t hurt you.” you say as you held out your hand to it, knuckles out first with your fingers curled inward.

 

The pup sniffed at your hand, wary at first then slowly you saw its tail wag, you try to pet but it bares its canines. So you just let it be and pretended minding your own business.

 

Then an idea hit you, taking out one slice of pizza, you removed the cheese and gave a piece of pizza bread to the young animal. The puppy immediately devoured it, so you took your time giving it pieces of pizza bread, as you were about reach out and grab it so you can remove the nylon wire when the pup looked up and backed away from your touch.

 

You clicked your tongue, growing impatient because you needed to remove the wire as soon as possible.

 

You were gonna pounce on the pup when it suddenly glowed blue, you look around and see Sans standing a few meters away from you with his hand out to the direction of the puppy “Go on…” he said in a soft tone “Grab it.”

 

As if seeing a ghost, you just stared at him for a few seconds before going back to the task at hand. Quickly grabbing the puppy and gently pressing it to your chest, it struggled and tried to bite you but you still kept it near your chest, keeping a cautious hold on it so you don’t accidentally injure it even further “Stay still…” you cooed “Such a good puppy, no need to struggle...” you cooed again, trying to calm it. You then gently take the wire wrapped paw in one of your hands and examined it, you sighed in relief when you saw it hasn’t dug deep or caused any friction wound.

 

Starting to work your way around the wire, you took out your victorinox swiss army knife from your keychain, you were able to pull out the knife tool since the puppy has long been calmed down, tiring itself out during its struggle earlier. You carefully sliced through the wire, keeping in mind of being at a careful distance between you and the puppy from the knife.

 

You sigh in relief “See? I didn’t do anything bad.” you say while holding the pup up to you eye level with its tongue out and panting while wagging its tail happily.

 

You felt someone stare at you, so when you looked up, you see Sans crouching right beside you, cheek bone just a few centimeters away from your cheek.

 

Now it was your turn to yelp in surprise, landing on your butt as you hold the puppy close to your chest. Sans flinched backwards in confusion and incredulously looked at you “Whoa, chill.” he said as he stood up and held out a helping hand to you.

 

You huffed, releasing your hold on the young animal as you stared up at the other, you didn’t know what to feel, at first you were ecstatic to finally see him, then it turned into annoyance because you haven’t seen him in awhile and you wanted an explanation, then you felt hurt because you weren’t sure why he would just show up like this without anything other than that one reply he sent you earlier, and you wanted these negative thoughts to be false.

 

And lastly? You just felt warm and fuzzy and the dull ache of emptiness on your chest just… completely disappeared.

 

You saw him stand to up, patting the back of his pants before weakly walking up to you as he held out his hand to you

 

You hesitantly took his bony hand and allowed yourself to be pulled to your feet, without letting go of his hand, you gaze at his face, taking in the details of exhaustion present, the rough eye bags under his sockets and how ironically ‘tired looking’ his eyelights were.

 

You squeezed his hand and he thankfully returned the gesture, you clamped your teeth together, feeling the tears coming.

 

Sans scoffed, you were dumbfounded by his reaction but he pulled you into a hug and placed his bony forehead on top of yours “Come on, princess…” he paused, eye lights gazing into your eyes, you notice it haze out on the edges as a tiny heart acting as a pupil formed “No need for the water works.”

 

Reaching up to touch your cheeks, you saw it was wet and everything just came pouring out, you hug the skeleton, thinking he might disappear again “I...I thought-” you choked on your words “I really thought you’ve c-come to hate me.” you said as you cried harder, getting both snot and tears on his jacket, that reason may sound childish but it was what you felt.

 

“(Y/n), no, this numbskull can’t bring himself to hate you. It’s…it’s just-” he huffed, taking his time to find the right words to say “I-I don’t know how to explain this.” he pulled you into a tighter hug, skull on the crook of your neck “And I’m...not sure how you’ll react.”

 

It took you some time to calm down, the silence surrounding you two was serene and pleasant as you guys hugged it out. You took in his scent and the heavy smell of vanilla wafting off of him was calming you even more, unknowingly he did the same to you.

 

“...Try me.” you finally said as you pulled yourself away and began cleaning your face up with the neckline of your shirt.

 

Sans scanned your face, a frown of doubt formed then followed up with a sigh, he finally looked at you with a tired grin “I guess, I have no choice eh?” he chuckled, pulling you into a hug one more time, mumbling something on your shoulder which was too low and soft for you to hear. Finally pulling away from you, he gave you a look of seriousness and took your hand once again before bringing you over to the same bench from the night of your meltdown.

 

You sat down first and Sans followed, you noticed the food you were holding earlier was placed neatly beside you but there were two additional extra large lemonade take outs alongside them “I don’t remember buying lemonade…” you mumbled.

 

“That’s on me.” he chuckled, weariness lacing his voice. “Thought I’d surprise ya, princess.” he revealed as he lazily rubbed his thumb on the back of your hand. “Then the whole pup thing happened.” he winked.

 

Putting yourself into thinking mode, you finally pieced everything together “The pizza?”

 

He shook his head, playfully answering your question “Nah, that’s sincerely on Catty.”

 

“W-what about the cake Muffet gave me?” you stammered pointing at the pastry with your free hand.

 

“Yup.” he grinned and leaned on his bony palm.

 

“The nice cream too?” you asked again.

 

“You got me.” he winked, grin growing wider the second you got the other food right.

 

Warmth spreading in your chest, you felt like you were the luckiest girl to have him, but then you retract your thoughts. You weren’t his girlfriend and he wasn’t your boyfriend, is that stopping

 

you from thinking you were lucky to have him? No. However it’s making you realize what you didn’t the past two weeks, you _like_ him. Like _like_ him, like you _want_ him to be your boyfriend kind of like! It’s undeniable that you’ve fallen head over heels with this skeleton beside you.

 

_I’m so stupid._

 

You mentally declared on yourself, feeling your face heat up and looking at the skeleton with nervousness “Sans, I-” before you could finish your sentence, he hushed you with his pointer to your mouth, a look of slight sorrow showed on his face “Before you say anything regarding about how you feel about me…I-” he paused and took away his hand before using both to hold your hand up to his face, pressing it to his mouth “I want you to listen to everything I have to say... But I have to know if you’re ready to hear about it.”

 

You blinked, uncertainty taking hold of you “I understand.” you saw Sans sigh in relief “But-” you started and he looks at you in soft confusion “Is this talk a long and serious one?”

 

The skeleton just sighed but nodded and followed it up with another tired chuckle “It’s that kind of talk.”

 

Silence once again, Sans just sat there holding unto your hand and just stayed...still? He had his eyes closed and you swore you could feel that this guy had fallen asleep on you while holding up the position. So you looked around and found the pup hiding underneath the bench, with your free hand you reached out, you whistled softly to it and you saw it bounce up to its feet and waggle its tail towards you “Heh.”

 

You look up and saw him staring at you again with that loving look that only a lover or someone that _really_ liked you-- Feeling your face heat up like earlier, except it was twice hotter than earlier, you try to open your mouth to say something but instead the words came out like- “I’m taking you to my house!” you screamed your thoughts out loud about the pup _not_ about Sans.

 

Then it was his turn to flush into a deep shade of blue with a weird smile on his face.

 

“You-! What- I mean!” you immediately waved your hand in protest “I-I meant the d-d-dog! The puppy! Yeah! The puppy!” you covered your face with both hand “Don’t get the wrong idea!”

 

“Ah, y-yeah, I-I-I know.” he stammered, looking away with a hand behind his skull. “I g-get what you’re trying to say, princess.”

 

Awkward silence, certainly _very_ awkward, you decided since you’re bringing the pup home. You might as well invite Sans into your place and have this talk that clearly he’s been wanting to have with you. But then it actually came out wrong and it really felt like you were gonna bring him back home for...something else entirely.

 

Which had also caused the same misunderstanding outside your apartment last time.

 

You let out a long exhale “Sans, look.” and he did “I think, it would be best if we had this talk somewhere more...private.” you gestured your surroundings with an exaggerated hand movement “We can have this talk at my apartment.” giving him an encouraging smile, you reached out and squeezed his hand.

 

“...Sure.” Sans answered and could only give you the same look as earlier, tired, completely drained, and so void of...the usual carefree and joking aura he has. And you really don’t know what happened to him in the past two weeks, but hopefully he could clear it up for you.

 

“Come on.” you softly called out to him as you stood up and pulled him to his feet. You were surprised at first at how light he was, you guessed that it must be the skeleton having nothing on him except clothes and magic. Satisfied that he stood up, you went to get the foods and lemonade when suddenly Sans took them ahead of you by using magic “Let me do that--” you protested.

 

“It’s fine, princess.” he tiredly grinned and pointed at the puppy nibbling on a leaf “‘Sides you have to hold the pup.” he reasoned.

 

You sighed in defeat “Alright, fine.” you hastily but gently picked up the puppy and held it close to your chest again, but instead of struggling like last time, it settled down and just played around with the pendant of your necklace.

 

“I’d suggest a shortcut but I don’t want the pup to get all disoriented.” Sans explained with both hands occupied with the food and drinks.

 

You went into thinking mode for a bit, trying to remember which route was the fastest to get to your apartment, it’s the afternoon, so you’d rather get back without dying from the heat. “I know the shortest route.” you grinned.

 

He shrugged with a smile on his face and gestured to the side “Lead the way.”

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The moment the three of you got to your apartment, you guys had to take a detour, having to buy some dog products and kibble at one of the pet stores just right across your apartment was not that time consuming. You really don’t remember one being constructed there before but how lucky for you to live right in front of one, right?

 

Settling the dog bowls and kibble in the kitchen, you poured water in one of them and filled the other with kibbles, in which the pup immediately started to devour. You see Sans placing the food on the kitchen’s marble counter and began looking around “There’s not much to see here,” you shrugged “Considering that I still have a lot to do.” you explained to the skeleton as he stared at the mugs on your counter “Sans?”

 

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess it’s understandable.” he awkwardly replied and gave you a sheepish grin.

 

“Are you tired? You can go sit on the sofa, you know.” you nodded at the couch “Gotta do dog duties first.”

 

“That…” he sighed “That’s not a bad idea.” he finally said and made a beeline for the furniture in the small living room, you hear him noisily plop himself down and sighed heavily.

 

The past weeks must’ve been hell for the skeleton when you recalled his miserable appearance earlier.

 

First things first, if you were gonna have a pet, you look at the pup walking up to you and plop itself in front of you “You are going to have a bath.” you sternly say as you pick it up and bring the pup close to your face.

 

You two had a stare down before the animal decidingly lean close and lick your nose, you giggle and held it close to you. Sighing, it’s been awhile since you’ve had a pet, but your memories were as clear as day when you and Robert first got the family pet. A beautiful golden retriever puppy that you and your brother named as Amber, the two of you would go great pains to give Amber everything, it was your first pet afterall. She grew up spoiled but nonetheless loyal to only you and your elder, laughing quietly to yourself, even Amber couldn’t bring herself to listen to your parent’s orders.

 

Sighing, you walked to the bathroom after taking the dog shampoo from earlier purchase, Amber had lived till her golden years and died peacefully of old age.

 

There you’ve settled the puppy down on the bathtub, turning both the hot and cold water to even out the temperature, you were surprised to see the pup be unfazed by the slowly rising water. Instead, it opted with looking down, biting and pawing at it. You grimaced as you see the water turn into a pale shade of brown, you haven’t even washed the pup and it’s already turning the water brown with just its paws. Reaching a desired water level, you turned off the water and began with rinsing the puppy before lathering it with shampoo, it was difficult, the pup thinks that this was all a game and began to play bite at your approaching hands as you try to clean it’s hard to clean parts. You took your time and well...played with the pup, who in their right minds would actually try to scold a baby animal? So instead, working your way through all the play, you decidedly did one last scrubbing by holding it in place on your lap and immediately, you regretted it.

 

You forgot you were wearing you ‘out’ clothes and not your shabby but comfortable house clothes.

 

Frowning at this, you couldn’t help but sigh in regret that you’d have to throw this in the laundry later or wash it by hand if the machine didn’t do a thing. So you continued washing to the point you were able to get it to be squeaky clean, placing it back in the bathtub, you rinsed the pup down with the shower and once again you regret the next thing the pup did to you.

 

You squeal in surprise as the pup began to shake back and forth, unfortunately splashing water on you.

 

Great, you were drenched “You know, for a pup, you carry a lot of water on your fur.” you laughed as you stood up and took an extra towel from the bathroom cabinet, picking up the pup out of the bathtub again, you quickly dried it with a strong but quick pat down before turning on your hair dryer to fluff up its fur.

 

It took you minutes but you were proud at your work.

 

The fur had come away to becoming white instead of a milky brown, its fur becoming fluffy like a cloud after you hairblower the animal. “Be free and bother some skeleton in the living room!” you dramatically exclaimed as you let go of the pup, and as if understanding your words, it left the bathroom.

 

You look around, everything was a mess in the bathroom, the muddy water in the tub, the small pools of water on the floor, the wet towel you used for the pup, and last but not the least, a wet dog-smelling you.

 

By the time you finished with cleaning the bathroom, you pouted at yourself, the wet clothes had slightly dried but it annoyingly clung to your skin. Decidingly then and there, you shimmied out of your clothes, you were about to close the bathroom door behind you but you yelped in surprise and had to cover yourself as you held your clothes against your most private areas. Because the one standing in front of you while holding unto the pup, was no other than your skeleton visitor, Sans.

 

His expression was set in an unreadable stare and a strained grin on his face, but _his skull_ , had turned into a deep ocean blue color “S-Sorry!” was all he could say before he scrambled to close the door himself.

 

Effectively leaving you speechless after that, The skeleton had seen you in your birthday suit, but strangely enough, you don’t feel...angry. In fact, you felt...glad? Relieved? Satisfied? That he’s seen you like this? No, no, you were clearly shaken up that you’re having weird thoughts now just because you like the dude.

 

So you proceed what you had in mind, a quick but thorough bath so you could attend to your guest, hear his side of his story and well...move on from what happened earlier. You sigh, you’re just hoping at this point that he doesn’t turn tail and run out of your apartment just because of that.

 

You usually take an hour baths, but as it is, you only took a five minute one.

 

Patting yourself dry and wrapping a towel around your body, you didn’t bother wrapping your hair, allowing it to be exposed to air instead. Once you were satisfied with how you dried and covered yourself, you opened the door to the bathroom and peeked your head outside, you don’t hear anything else aside from the faint snoring from the skeleton in the living room.

 

Sans must’ve slept the shock and embarrassment away, however, you do not see the pup around, with a sigh, you just shrugged it off to prolly adventuring somewhere in your living space.

 

You quietly padded down the small hallway, hoping you wont slide and cause another awkward situation, once into your room, locking your door in a haste, you didn’t take anytime to pick out clothes. You just took whatever was comfortable, and of course, clean in your closet “I doubt he minds anyways.” you muttered as you wore a shirt that said ‘It sure is NUTS’ that showed a cartoon-ish peanut saying that and you wore your most comfiest pajama pants… well, at least you’re at your own home.

 

Drying your hair with the same towel you used to wrap yourself in and finally fixing your hair, you look at yourself in the mirror.

 

_Comfort over style for now, I guess._

 

You hummed, walking out of your room after you’ve hang your wet towel on the backrest of your study chair.

 

That’s when you see the pup trot itself over to you “Had enough exploring?” you laughed as you picked it up. Walking to the living room, you see Sans fiddling around with his phone, you could see him typing away at the screen, a lazy smile on his face “Heya, bonehead.” you greeted him as you plop yourself beside him on the couch “Whatcha doing?”

 

“Hmm?” he murmured before glancing sideways to acknowledge your question “Oh, just texting Paps,” he sets down his phone and finally looks at you “Letting him know that I’m with you.” the skeleton grinned.

 

“I see.” you simply answered, the two of you just staring into each other’s eyes before you leaned against the backrest of sofa on your side, hitching your legs up on the cushions. “So…”

 

“So?” he asked with a raised bone brow, his grin widening

 

“Soooo???” you stressed as you squint your eyes at him as he copied you after.

 

Sans was playing hooky with the topic at hand! You gently kicked him on the femur bone and that earned you a sharp snort from the skeleton “Alright, alright, I’ll talk.” he says in defeat, chuckling at your realization “Was just teasing ya, princess.”

 

“You better be out with it!” you joked, trying your best impression of a southern accent “Lest I kick yer bony ass outta mah house!”

 

He snorted again but this time it was followed up with a hearty deep laugh “Yer nev'r gon’be as good as me.” He said, also trying his best to impersonate a south accent.

 

“Wow, we both suck at this.” you remarked with an undignified laugh.

 

“Hey, I didn’t start it.” Sans pointed out and pinched your foot “Come on, foot off my femur.”

 

“Well, excuse me,” you gasped in mock surprise “I took a bath! My foot is clean, sir!”

 

He snickered and shook his head at you “Jokes aside...I hope you’re ready to hear what I have to say.” Sans said with a slight somber tone before muttering under his breath.

 

You nodded, body relaxed and understanding as you wait for the skeleton to start his explanation for his absence.

 

You waited.

 

And waited.

 

...and waited.

 

But no words seemed to escape his gaping mouth.

 

“...hey, you okay?” you asked when his thinking expression turn into that of frustration, you could tell he was struggling on what to say, then a dull ache began on your chest. Sans looks up at you as if he felt it too, a mixture of emotions formed on his bony face as he tries his best, and you know it, this made you feel warm inside and you just couldn’t help but...look at him with adoration and just full of... _love_.

 

He looks at you again, this time his face was in a set expression of calm determination “Y/n…” softly calling you by your name, he moves closer and takes your hand in his before grasping it with both hands “I…I can’t exactly explain this accurately…” he paused, looking at your entwined hands and caressing your knuckles with his thumb “And it _may_ seem too far fetched once I clarify this to you.”

 

You gave his hands a reassuring squeeze “I did say to try me.”

 

“Sounds innocent and wrong at the same time, princess.” he chuckled weakly.

 

Feeling the heat gathering up on your face, you lightly smack Sans on the forehead, trying to hide your embarrassment with your action “Don’t make it sound weird!” you scolded the skeleton before you.

 

The two of you laugh before settling down with contented sighs, you know he's stalling time because of whatever he's about to tell you seemed to take a toll on his person. Another sigh escaped his lips “It’s now or never huh?” Sans reflected, giving you a lopsided grin “So what do you think of souls?”

 

Blinking at the odd question the skeleton asked you “like uh, how we _humans_ understand of it?”

 

He nodded, his eyes trained on you as he waits for your answer.

 

“Uh...well,” you started, not sure of the thoughts coming into mind “I guess, a soul can be described as a spiritual form not constricted by the flesh and bones of the human body, and being able to attain the peak of everything.” you look at Sans, expecting some kind of laugh or joke from him, but he was serious and intent on listening to what you have to say “I mean, that’s how it’s been described or talked about between humans, from the past and up until now.”

 

“I see…” he nodded in understanding “Then what do you think of monsters having souls?”

 

You took your time thinking then you shrugged your shoulders “I guess the same way as human souls?”

 

Sans hummed at your response “If you interpret souls in your human ways as a ‘High Spiritual Form’,” he motioned his hands to do the quote-and-unquote gesture “For us monsters, it’s more like of a… ‘Magical Core’ of our being.” he explained but that only made you confused. “You see, monsters aren’t exactly made of flesh, blood, muscles, and...guts like you guys. Me and all of the monsters you see on the surface are made of magic, strong as it sounds, we’re actually easy to kill.”

 

You flinch at the last word he uttered, you could feel yourself making a frown at his explanation, but you quickly shake your head to dismiss the unsettling feeling in your gut.

 

“Ah but, of course, not _that_ easy, why do you think we have magic in the first place?” he winked.

 

You giggle at his followed up response and you see Sans stare at you for a moment , the stare from him was full of fondness for you. And there was a dull warmth spreading throughout your chest, allowing yourself to calm down and come back to the conversation at hand. “What’s the difference?” you finally asked “You know, between the souls of humans and monsters?”

 

Sans reached up to scratch the back of his skull, little beads of sweat forming on his forehead “for us monsters, it’s something that keeps us and our magic up and running. For you humans, it’s more of a storage unit for magic far stronger than ours.” he looks at you “However, it’s also what makes you... _you._ ”

 

“Meaning?” you asked, confused at this point cause you lost yourself to his interpretation.

 

“If I start explaining the why and what nots of a human soul in monster terms, it’ll take me ages to satisfy your curiosity.” Sans sighed “It _is_ part of what I’m about to say but talking about traits and their descriptions would take awhile…”

 

“So...what exactly are you _trying_ to tell me?” you gently stressed, fingers tapping on his bony palm.

 

It took him an eternity to speak up...actually, it was just a few seconds till he relaxed and sagged into the armrest of the couch, the two of you had change positions during the talk but not once have you and Sans faced away from each other. You could see Sans trying to relax with his body languidly facing you, both of his legs were up against the backrest of the couch, but never once has he _properly_ relax whenever he explains. It felt like you were watching a rubber string ready to snap if he couldn’t talk about what he wants to talk to you about.

 

With a long sigh coming from the skeleton, he looks at you with in intensity that sent a shiver down your spine “What do you think of soulmates?”

 

You blink, completely caught off guard by the sudden change of topic “You mean the things us humans make up about ‘perfect partner’? Or ‘the destined one’?” you incredulously asked and tried to joke around. However, the expression on Sans’ face was unreadable, his grin was awkwardly plastered on his face and his eyelights were gone from his sockets “Sans?” you called out to him.

 

He flinched at the sound of your voice “Sorry, sorry. Was just...zoning out.” sighing deeper and from what he looks to you, he seemed to prepare himself for a lengthy explanation. Again. To your slow ass brain.

 

“Well…in a sense, but for us monsters, it’s more of a connection.” he tries to describe it to you as he held up both of his hands and clasped them together “A bond between monsters...in a more deeper and...uh...magical sense?” Sans looks at you, hopeful enough that you understand in a way. “And this _bond_ can happen to not just monster couples, but also to a human and monster couple.”

 

Squinting your eyes at him, you...kind of understand? But at the same time you actually don’t? Alright, let’s be honest here, you really don’t understand the ‘bond’ part. You could really see the hope in his features slowly turn that of frustration but then he moved to be closer to you, his body just a few meters for a perfect huggable distance, raising a bony hand, he pointed a phalange between the space on top of your chest “W-what about a...sensation here?” he stammered and paused “Like a pull? Or pain? A twisting feeling?” it was subtle but you could really see the desperation in his sockets.

 

Your eyes widen in surprise at how accurate the skeleton guessed “How?” you gaped at the skeleton infront of you, as he sighed in relief as he placed a hand above his rib cage covered by a simple shirt “Because...even _I_ feel _it_.”

 

You felt your chest tightened at his statement, words the seemed to leave a pleasantly warm vibration all throughout your body.

 

“And _this_ ?” he pats his ribcage, a muffled clack-clack resounded within him “These sensations that we both feel whenever we’re together or far apart from each other can only happen, if we meet our _soulmates_ .” he took both of your hands into his and held it close to his face, almost kissing them and in fear that this was actually a dream and he fought to held unto you if that were the case. “...And you’re my soulmate,” he paused to breathe, mentally preparing himself for whatever words he’s about to say “Ever Since I saw you at Grillby’s, ever since we started hanging out, ever since I started to feel sensations in _my_ soul...I,” he huffed, trying to regain his composure after letting that out in one breath “I...knew that you were mine.”

 

he says with a finality that made your body go tense, breaking a daml of mixed emotions thats running rampant inside you, and before you could register what was happening, Sans had reached out and wiped the tears falling down your face.

 

“But...do you feel the same with me?” Sans asked, a hurt expression evident on his face. “I’m not human and...there’s going to be tons of complications. But I know we’ll pull through it, I know I can _and_ I know you can.”

 

And it’s true, despite the feeling of warmth and happiness blossoming inside you, you can’t help but consider his words.

 

Do you feel the same way as he feels about you? You do.

~~**_You’re not doing this out of pity right?_ ** ~~

 

Can you imagine being with him? Yes.

~~**_You sure you’re not just scared to hurt him?_ ** ~~

 

You’re a hundred percent sure? Yep.

~~**_You’re not, you’re just too kind to reject him._ ** ~~

 

Are you alright with him knowing about the past? The traumas? The _damage_? You are.

~~**_You aren’t, and he’ll run from it. Leave you behind like everyone else._ ** ~~

 

“(Y/n)...?” Sans’ voice called out to you, breaking you out of your dark and conflicting thoughts.

 

Blinking to focus yourself, you see the skeleton looking at you with worry etched on his face, you felt a sharp pain but it disappeared as quickly as it came, you don’t want to see him like that. “Sans, I…” you paused, trying to think of words to relay to him “I _feel_ the same way but…” You saw the skeleton’s face falter,  his eye lights dim a little, but his focus on you didn’t waver. Not one bit “But...can you accept _all_ of me?” your voice cracked, a sob threatened to let itself out “I-I’m not as perfect or-or as good you think of me…” you inhaled sharply, trying so hard not to cry in front of Sans “I-I’m just…!” you finally cried, bawling your eyes out as you lean unto the skeleton, you hands on his shoulders as you hang your head down, letting the tears fall on your pajamas and on Sans’ legs.

 

The crying went on but you felt Sans wrap his arms around you, as if protecting you from all the pain the world could give with this sincere gesture, you clung to him like he was your only lifeline. “I don’t know how to comfort you but...if it helps,” pausing to adjust himself closer to you so you wouldn’t bend your back too far “I know ya aint perfect or honest to god good, you have your flaws about you and that’s alright…” he began petting you on the head “And I won’t say I can break myself in half just to make you see I understand completely without any questions about it...because I really don’t know what sort of past traumatic experiences you have or secrets you’re trying to hide.” he paused, backing away to look at you “But I am _willing_ to try my best to understand you.”

 

By the time Sans had finished talking his side of reasoning, your tears had stop and now you’re left with sniffling audibly enough for Sans to chuckle. “Look...as much as I want to make you mine already…” you slowly move away from the skeleton, your eyes look up at his face where a lopsided grin and blushing a soft blue shade “We can take this slow, and I don’t mind that at all.”

 

The way Sans said that made you thank whatever higher entity had done for a miracle like him to be sent to you “I...I’d like that.” you smile.

 

He hugged you once again but instead of staying still, the skeleton brought you down with him on the couch, yelping in surprise, the action forcing your body to settle on top of him as he squashed your form with a tight hug. “So...does this mean I can ask you out?” he asked with a teasing tone before nuzzling his face into the crown of your head.

 

“Are you gonna take me out for dinner?” you jokingly asked the other.

 

“Sure, why not?” the skeleton immediately agreed without any second thoughts.

 

“I-wait-what?” you shot up to prop your elbows on top of his ribcage “I was kidding.”

 

“Well...it’s not like I can just ask you out without taking you out for dinner.” adjusting his skull to lean on the armrest behind him, his eyelight stares at you like you were the most beautiful thing to happen to him “‘sides what kind of guy am I, if I can’t even impress you?” he winked.

 

You felt a blush creep up your face “Shut up...I’m fine with just a house date.” folding your arms in front you to become a makeshift arm pillow, you lean on it and tilt your head to side as you look at Sans “I’m not the wine and dine kind of girl. I’m more of a movie nights and pillows forts girl.”

 

Sans hummed underneath you, feeling a slight rumble going through him “Just right up my alley then.” he wraps his arms around you again and hugs you tight enough for you to grunt a stop at him.

 

A sigh of content escaped the two of you, you felt a weight lifted off of you from the talk earlier, but something seemed missing “...You still haven’t explained why you ghosted me for almost three weeks.”

 

You felt Sans tighten his hold on you in response to your words “O-oh. Uh, yeah. Shit, I forgot…”

 

Raising an eyebrow at him, you see his skull slowly turning dark blue, his eyelights looking at everything except at you. “Sans?” you demandingly called his name, soft yet it still held some authority to it “Tell me.”

 

With a sigh coming from the skeleton “This was hard for me to explain to the others, what would happen if I explained it to you?” he said, a question more for himself than for you, using both of his hands to rub his face, he finally looks at you as he settles them back around your waist. “...how much do you know about monsters? Aside from the soul part?”

 

Thinking real hard, you try to remember as much as possible if you’ve been reading any monster anatomy or health related articles in the past, sadly you haven’t, so you shook your head at the skeleton you’re lying on.

 

“Seriously?” Sans exhaled, looking at you while his sockets widen in disbelief, scrunching his face as he took a deep breath, the bone monster finally settles his eyelights on you “...There’s a time of the month where a monster goes into...uh...a period of...frustration?” he says in a statement that ends as a question instead of a solid answer.

 

“A period of what now?” you asked, trying to hide the confusion showing on your face with a smile, but Sans frowns, it just means that you failed to hide it. You mentally curse at your very expressive face.

 

“Do you know the term ‘heat’ in animals?” he simply asked you.

 

You knit your brows at him but you nod nonetheless “You mean when animals get horny and want to mate, right?”

 

“Yep,” Sans nodded with a grin on his face, he seemed proud with your answer so you grin back at him “So...this heat also happens to monsters. It’s an agonizing fourteen days of wanting to, well, y-you know…” trying hard to say the word but Sans appeared to be flustered at the fact that he’s basically teaching you monster anatomy one-o-one “s-sex.” he mumbled loud enough for you to hear.

 

“Oh...” you simply said, then it dawned on you “OH…” you blush at the thoughts whirling in your mind. “So the past weeks, you’ve been...err...doing _this?_ ” you motioned your hands by doing the ‘sex’ gesture while you awkwardly grin at him.  

 

Sans unceremoniously snorted at your interpretation “Yes and no…” you felt his hand moving up your back and settle on your shoulder blade, the soft tug of of a lock of hair in his hand made your realize he was playing with your hair “I _was_ able to relieve myself but...I didn’t do it with anyone. Because no matter how many times I’ve considered finding a partner to help me with my heat cycle, the only one that comes to mind is...you.” he looks at you with affection in his face.

 

Warmth spread throughout your body and a heavy but slow rhythm seemed to settle on your chest, you couldn’t help but feel...giddy at his words and with the way he looked at you “So...why didn’t you?”

 

He blinked, looking at you like you’ve grown an extra head “Ya want me to jump on ya? Just days after we met?” he says in a tone of surprise “Why would I do that to my soulmate?”

 

Now you feel embarrassed, so you bury your face unto your arms, completely hiding away from his gaze “I-I don’t know…!” you half-screamed into his ribcage, then you look up at him when he began to chuckle.

 

“I...don’t want to do anything that’ll hurt you.” the skeleton says as he nuzzles your cheek with his nasal bone “Even with your consent and willingness to help, it’s risky on your part.” he points out. “You’ll be in danger just on the first day, I’ll be driven mad with the instinct to breed and make you mine, you’ll be heavily marked _and_ filled by my magic, and the sex...won’t be gentle.”

 

You shiver when he mentioned all of those in a dangerously low and seductive voice.

 

“There’s also the...risk of permanent bonding.” he continues, still in the tone that seems to make you warmer than usual.

 

“Permanent bonding?” you asked, trying to distract yourself.

 

“Err…a permanent bonding is when two souls call out to each other in ‘out of body’ form. Your soul and my soul will manifest themselves outside of our bodies and...meld together.” Sans explained, still playing with a lock of your hair but never gazing away from you. “Not only that...we’ll be...sharing things to each other. Your soul will open up to me and your memories will flood me to the brim and make me understand you in a way that words can’t be described, and it’ll be the same for you once our souls accepts each other…” he moved in to surprise you with a peck on the lips, a mischievous grin forming on his face as he pulled away from you, you we’re about to reprimand him but he started talking again- “Not only memories, but also feelings, intentions, and the strongest thoughts that you’re or me are thinking of or out loud.”

 

“So basically I...can’t hide anything from you?” questioning his explanation with a look of suspicion from you.

 

He hummed “...You still can if you chose not to talk about it.”

 

You pout at his answer, not exactly what you want but it still reassures you.

 

“Even if you can sense my thoughts, my feelings, and intentions,” he paused and tuck the lock of hair he was playing with behind your ear “You won’t be able to hear the sounds of my soul. And that’s the only difference unless our bond is stronger than I thought, but as a monster to begin with, I can hear it. Sometimes it’s annoying with other souls but when it comes to your soul...I can’t help but listen to it and long for you.”

 

“You know...even if I half understand your explanation, I swear to god, whenever the topic stirs to me, I can’t help but think you’re one cheesy motherfucker.” you cursed at him with a shy smile on your face, you can’t help it, everything just seems so...right and perfect and _complete_ with him here with you lazing on the couch as he explains everything to you while he holds you in his bony arms.

 

“I’m sorry, I forgot to ask your parmesan to start talking smooth with you.” he winked and pulled you into a tight hug.

 

“To be honest, you’re not grating my nerves but you’re surely leaving me melty right now.” you countered him.

 

“Well, you feta brace yourself, I’ll brie sure to go gooey on you a lot.” he shot back with a chuckle.

 

You snort and reach up to pinch his nose bridge “I’ll queso be ready for that.” moving to sit up on his pelvic bones, you leaned downward to give him a kiss.

 

Sans just looks at you with wide sockets and a faint blush on his cheek before giving you the goofiest and contented grin as you sat back up “Stars, be mine already…” he mutters his thoughts out loud then he takes a hold of your hand and presses it against his mouth in a loving manner “(Y/n), will you go out with me?” he say with a smirk on his face.

 

You felt yourself heat up and hugged him, but you plop on top of him so hard he grunted to the impact “Yes, yes please, I want you.”

 

Maybe this time.

 

You’ll allow yourself to be happy.

 

With your skeleton boyfriend by your side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now that I read the previous chapter, I just see how much of a mess it was...and it took me awhile to actually write this chapter, cause I got lost on the original path of how the story goes. thank you so much for your patience! <3

**Author's Note:**

> told you it was long XD, but I'm glad you made it. 
> 
> Don't give up!
> 
> I appreciate any comments, I'll try to comment back!


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